Skills Required of Product Managers
Question: Blackblot states that intelligence and English are the skills required of a PMTK product manager. What are the skills required of product managers in the three other approaches to product management?
Describing the skills required of a product manager is highly dependent on the perceived type of product management.
Blackblot has identified four distinct Schools of Thought in Product Management:
- GENERALIZATION approach (product manager does everything, aka CEO of the Product)
- TECHNOLOGY approach (product manager is part of product development and subservient to the development method)
- BUSINESS approach (product manager is focused on the business aspects of the product, primarily money)
- METHODOLOGY approach (product management is governed by foundation rules, as in PMTK)
The Product Manager role in each of these approaches requires different skills:
- GENERALIZATION: Leadership, Coordinating
- TECHNOLOGY: Technical, Project
- BUSINESS: Metrics, Research
- METHODOLOGY (PMTK): Intelligence, English