I think all engineers should learn the basics of Product Management. It teaches you to think about your work from a different perspective.
Let’s go over some key concepts…
First, the job of a product manager is not to decide what features go into a product and write up stories in Jira. They may do both of these things, but that’s not the GOAL.
The goal of product management is to make a product successful in the market. This involves talking to customers, marketing and sales teams, and looking at behavioral data to understand what customers/users do and why.
In general, Product Managers are trying to improve certain metrics. Depending on the product, “success in the market” might mean driving new users, improving “engagement/time in app”, lowering customer acquisition costs, etc.
As an engineer, you should look at each user story and ask “What metric is this story designed to move, and why?”. Ideally, your Product Manager is explaining this regularly.
Why should you care? Your Product Manager is doing their best to come up with ideas on how to move those metrics. But you may have an even better idea from your vantage as an engineer. This is one of the easiest ways for good engineers to have a powerful impact inside their company.
