Noticed Microsoft has changed some titles to product manager where previously it was program manager. What is the distinction between both roles now? Are the technical program manager roles now just project managers?
TPgM sits in engineering which largely depends on org to decide the actual work. Typically managing intakes, standup, planning, program delivery, tracking metrics, writing documents, roadmap and so on. While some say there is no different between TPgM and PdM but some say yes (title).
Program Manager and Product manager is one and the same role. They just updated the definition internally which was going on from decades
This is not true for all teams. I was previously a Program Manager and was switched to a Product Manager. Within our org they then created a TPM role for Technical Program Manager. The TPM is usually paired with a PM and handles more technical duties that the PM is not equipped for. Skill wise I can do both roles but since I am not a TPM I punt that type of work to my Engineering Manager since we don’t yet have a TPM (due to hiring freeze).
It totally depends on the teams. For example I’m a Program Manager obviously at a different company than yourself however, I literally own a program for our Org and do product updates by writing technically docs, manage SPRINTs for intakes, and make sure the development of features are getting tested and added. Except my manager is a Product Manager and so is all of the other management. It’s just a way for us to do product work but get paid a little less and calling all the lower leveled employees program managers LOL
It’s been more than a year that this change came about. It was done to align to the industry role standards
I know several who jumped to Google, Uber & Coinbase as PMs. It changed the way recruiters see you, PgM v/s PM. Microsoft made every PgM instantly smarter & more market-friendly with more 💰.
Is anyone willing to refer me for roles at Microsoft US? 🙏🙏🙏
I’m confused. Is it more desirable to be a Program Manager or Product Manager? I’m a Technical Product Manager right now for a smaller company, I’m wondering if I should ask for a change.
Its the same. In my team at Msft, the PgM and PM, have exactly the same responsibilities.
There *shouldn't* be a difference, but both have different types of utter waste of employees that should be fired yesterday. No bucket is without its bad eggs. PdMs tend to have MBAs. TPgMs tend to have eng degrees. People make up differences for the roles, but those are rarely, if ever, adhered to, as it makes no sense and makes both roles dumber.
Someone is getting sidelined by product or program managers lol
Or someone has been both and knows what they're talking about. Or someone worked at your ShitCo Meta and thinks Metamates learning they're not hireable is amazing. Perhaps this is part of why.
None of the answers is absolutely right. Microsoft used to have only one role - program manager under which they hired people doing product management and program management. Last year role definitions changed and program manager designation got bifurcated into Product manager and Technical program manager. Product managers are part of product org but Technical program manager can be in engineering or product orgs. Even the work profiles are now as per industry standards in the new role library.
So there are no Technical Product Managers? At Amazon, these are PMTs and at Google PMs are considered part of the engineering job family regardless of individual backgrounds/strengths.
What zJba76 wrote is accurate. To be clear at MSFT, from what I can tell with some of the orgs I work with it feels like everyone is still operating how they were pre split and we still have way too many product managers in too many orgs (mainly talking about E+D). They are trying to shift folks to act more like PM and TPM as how other companies do it and there is some progress... But PM at Microsoft was much larger than many of our peers and then (in E+D) seemed to convert most to Product.
This. I was wondering the same! I saw many folks join as program managers become product managers, which really helped accelerate their career.