Comments on: So why do we undermine ourselves?

By: A.BILE

A.BILE — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:22:40 +0000

Being the glue and the gap filer in the company organization? I cannot say I’ve never filled that way.

Many companies tend to save money by under staffing their PM and PMM teams. So yes… we have to help companies do a big change and understand PM and PMM are productive and that money spent in their salary has a significant impact on the business.

By: It’s all about leadership… « The Thinking Bamboo Blog

It’s all about leadership… « The Thinking Bamboo Blog — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:19:32 +0000

[...] all about leadership… A short post to relay a post by OnProductManagement.net tittled Why do we undermined ourselves? Great question. Saeed is doing a great job at underlining the words that tell about this in PM and [...]

By: Pivotal Product Management Blog | Are We Losing the Turf War?

Pivotal Product Management Blog | Are We Losing the Turf War? — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:21:41 +0000

[...] Saeed recently hosted a discussion about the definition of product management. We, as a “profession” and I use the term loosely, can’t even come up with a standard definition for what we do. [...]

By: Linda Merrick

Linda Merrick — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:30:25 +0000

Good test. When I explain it to my family, they don’t quite understand the details but they appreciate that that’s what companies exist for, and it makes sense that someone oversees that process.

When we use it with executives, they don’t need a lot of explanation. They have someone managing hiring, accounts payable, Agile process, etc. Why would they NOT have someone managing the company’s core process?

By: saeed

saeed — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:38:33 +0000

Linda,

Thanks. That’s a nice succinct definition. Do you find people (not involved in products companies) understand what that definition means? i.e. does it require further explanation or is it clear to people exactly what is implied?

By: Linda Merrick

Linda Merrick — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:44:27 +0000

Saeed, good post, right on the money. Try this definition:
“Product Managers manage the process of turning an idea into profit.”

By: In Search Of A Metaphor | Product Management Meets Pop Culture

In Search Of A Metaphor | Product Management Meets Pop Culture — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:07:06 +0000

[...] a recent post, Saeed got me thinking (as he usually does) — this time, though, about something I’d [...]

By: AceProject

AceProject — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:40:29 +0000

Gap, glue and grease are not the best descriptive words one could choose. http://is.gd/1bUPN #pmot

By: saeed

saeed — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:03:55 +0000

Chris,

Thanks for the comment. As I mentioned in the post, I wasn’t picking on you (or Jacques) and I did mention that both of you did go further to explain what you meant.

But my point was the metaphors themselves. If we describe ourselves that way, that’s what people will remember — they will not remember the details that explain the metaphor, I guarantee you of that! — and we need to raise our own profile by making a stronger case for what product management truly delivers.

BTW, my use of the word “enabler” was not part of a strict definition of Product Management so don’t take that too literally.

Saeed

By: Chris Cummings

Chris Cummings — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:51:18 +0000

Hi Saeed -

This is a very interesting argument. Like I told Nick, the key part of the 20-words-or-less description, to me, wasn’t the glue/grease metaphor, but the ability to keep “the product moving in the right direction”. Which entails knowing the market, leading product development, and making sure the product meete market demands and business goals, among other things.

But, I’ll own the glue/grease metaphor. What I like about it, is it gets to the heart of this unique role we have and function we serve–there is nothing that can perform that kind of function. Nothing, but us.

Not that it’s the best metaphor in the world by any means… but, then again, I’d rather not be known as an “enabler” either

- Chris
http://twitter.com/chriscummings01