Context - recently joined as a new PM after switching over from Eng. role. I have "full ownership" of the product, which I was excited about at the time of the interview. Turns out that I'm working as a product owner (leading sw sprints, troubleshooting, requirements mgmt.), business analyst (market analysis, goto market, pricing, profitability etc), hw design, dealing with 3rd party suppliers and supporting sales. Is this normal for PM, or did I just sign up for 5 jobs at the price of one? Would love to hear insights from new PMs TC: 150k #pm #productmanager
Usually more often than not a PM does pretty much everything. If any of the areas are lagging the PM is responsible. It’s a tough job if you want to do it the right way. Having said that, you can always ask for help in areas where you are overloaded or aren’t your strengths. Give yourself some time and talk to your manager about priorities first
Thanks for the insights, looks like I got carried away by the role and didn't deep dive into day-to-day questions. Though I doubt they would have been 100% honest either. Personally, I feel cheated given the compensation doesn't match the multiple hats I have to wear and I don't have the upside in comp even if I meet lofty business goals.
Yeah it's a pretty common sentiment amongst PMs that the title is really flashy on top, but so different under the hood. It's a good role for people who enjoy doing a ton of different things, but people who come in thinking they'll have a cookie-cutter role with cookie-cutter responsibilities will be in for a shock.
Being a PM can feel really weird sometimes. You can feel undervalued, but others will think you're overvalued. You can enjoy what you're doing, but not enjoy the work you're doing at that moment. You really have to find what you like about being a PM and have that carry you. Otherwise, it might be low-key miserable.
Sounds normal, but which part don’t you like? I personally can’t stand owning sprints and try to avoid any role that expects it of their PMs. Overall the key is to prioritize and set expectations with you team. You can’t do it all, all the time.
Welcome to the PM world :)
What you describe sounds completely normal and in line with many PM expectations. Some companies, products, and roles will require a greater emphasis on some of the responsibilities you've outlined more than others. Separately, there's a larger industry problem (I see it at G) where PMs are increasingly viewed as a magical solution to bigger organizational dysfunction. The area isn't working effectively? Oh, it must be the lack of PMs! PMs can add a lot of value in the right context though there are plenty of areas that can't or won't benefit from our skillsets.
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A lot of times PMs are such a catch all role. Some PMs are expected to do a little bit of everything (or everything tbh) or just do more "PM" things like requirements gathering. It's super dependent on the team. And a lot of that's variable depending on the size of the team + company. I currently PM at a smoll startup with like only 4 people with the PM title, but we all do a little bit of everything. I personally do a lot of things that are more business analyst and design. A lot of stuff I didn't think I'd be doing alone lol. I've found with larger companies and teams, responsibilities are more segmented. There's a dedicated product owner, product ops, UX team, etc. High-key there needs to be more transparency between PM responsibilities + expectations.