Welcome back, dear readers, and thank you for joining me on this journey as I share my learnings from transitioning from Engineering to Product Management. In my previous blog post, we talked about the six fundamental stages of a Product (Why, Who, What, Where, How, and When), focusing on the essential ‘Why’ and ‘Who’ stages. Today, let’s continue our exploration by uncovering the pivotal ‘What’ and ‘Where’ stages, which play a crucial role in shaping the direction and impact of your product.
During my time as an Engineer/Architect, I often found myself jumping straight into the ‘How’ stage once the initial brainstorming and feature selection were completed. Even after transitioning to Product Management, I continued following this familiar and comfortable methodology, oblivious of the fact, that it might not be the most beneficial approach for our customers and stakeholders. It was only after reading “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries, a recommendation from one of the best managers I’ve had the privilege to work with, and subsequently diving into “Running Lean” by Ash Maurya, another excellent recommendation from my mentor, that the concept of a “Minimal Viable Product” began to dawn on me.
These eye-opening reads emphasized the importance of thoughtfully considering every feature in a product. We need to understand the value it brings to customers and stakeholders and determine the most effective way to reach these customers. This approach helps us create products that truly address the needs and desires of our target audience, leading to greater success and satisfaction for everyone involved.
As someone who has spent the majority of my career in the software engineering and architecture space, I made a significant shift to Product Management a few years ago. My decision was driven by a desire to be involved in the early stages of product creation and to experience the excitement of innovation and ambiguity. Although the transition has been rewarding, I often find myself slipping into my engineering mindset instead of fully embracing the Product Manager’s perspective.
One of my greatest challenges is consistently asking the fundamental question: “Why?”. Whenever someone presents a problem that needs solving, I tend to immediately jump into problem-solving mode and focusing on finding solutions, without taking a step back to look at the problem holistically. I understand the importance of brainstorming various ideas and thoroughly working through them to arrive at the right problem-market fit. This realization has been both frustrating and a valuable learning opportunity for me, and I am committed to improving over time through the concept of Kaizen.
I would like to share my insights and experiences that I believe will be valuable for anyone making the transition from engineering to product management. When examining a product, I recommend thinking about it in six key stages (Why, Who, What, Where, How and When), and in this blog post, we will focus on the first two stages: