产品经理vs. 项目经理第二部分:情景分析

In 最后一篇文章, we focused on the core skills and traits that successful 产品 and 项目经理 should have. 具体地说, we saw the ways in which 产品经理 (PDMs) serve as the “CEO” of a given product, 而项目经理(PJMs)则充当“COO”.” Now, let’s discuss the situations in which an organization needs a PDM, PJM, or a hybrid of both.

This analysis also addresses several important trends we have seen driving the “未来的工作” at Toptal. Such trends include rising turnover rates at technology companies, the digitization of a range of traditionally analog industries, 一个特定团队的员工远程工作.

需要产品经理的情况:

产品构思: A company needs a PDM in the early stages of designing a new product. The PDM leads the team to complete and validate product requirements so a minimum viable product (MVP) can be built. This type of work requires significant research and validation, 有时甚至会使一个想法无效. But if the team moves forward into the product development phase, the PDM who has validated the idea is usually the best candidate to lead execution.

产品开发: 需求是存在的，并且已经被验证了, a demo has been built and the company is ready for the next step: developing the MVP. PDM负责领导执行. 在这些情况下, companies should look for PDMs with strong skills in leading teams, 影响功能伙伴, and making hard decisions after evaluating cost / benefit tradeoffs.

成熟产品的监护人: 在涉及管理成熟产品的情况下, the goals are to maintain the product’s existing user base, 降低运营成本, 避免错误. PDM不需要刺激高增长, 而是保持一致性, 在某些情况下, 帮助产品降温. A PDM in this situation needs to have strong management skills, 有销售支持经验, and an understanding of how to maintain profitability.

向数字产品过渡: This is relevant to traditionally analog industries, such as banking or insurance. These situations require companies to adapt to consumer demands and develop digital interfaces to find, 参与并服务他们的客户. 在这些情况下, the PDM leads the charge to translate existing analog products into digital contexts. The digital version of the product should not negatively impact the existing version, but rather complement and improve customer experience.

需要项目经理的情况:

新产品开发: These cases are most frequently digital projects in which the result is delivery of a software product. A PJM driving this type of initiative is responsible for leading a team to deliver the end-product on budget, 在时间和范围内.

新产品上市: These projects differ from the above category in that they encompass a broader range of tasks beyond technical product delivery. 例如, 为了新产品的发布, 产品交付, 分配计划, 市场启动, 供应商合作伙伴关系, 法律方面的考虑都在考虑范围之内. A company needs a seasoned cross-functional PJM for this job.

业务转型: 公司需要重新设计一个核心功能. 解决方案是模糊和多方面的, but generally includes transforming internal processes and reorganizing teams or other areas of the organization. 将某些团队从办公室转移到远程, 为了提高效率, 节省成本，吸引最优秀的人才, 是否也属于PJM的职权范围.

Post-M&一个集成: The merger of large companies kicks off a set of integration initiatives that vary in scope and duration. These initiatives can be both technical (merging two systems or software products) or highly non-technical (merging customer services processes and organizations). 这些过程需要具有两个M的PJM&A、行业背景.

需要混合动力的情况:

There are times when it makes sense to have one person serve as both PDM and PJM. These scenarios are quite specific, and top talent with both skill sets are both rare and expensive.

小团队: When the team size is small – under six to eight people – then the administrative overhead, 沟通摩擦，冲突和低效率也更小. 在这些情况下, a company may not need a full-time PJM to ensure communication and relay critical information. 在这种情况下, 具有项目管理技能的PDM, 再加上经验丰富的开发领导, 可能就足够了.

明确的产品: Some product concepts are well-defined, requiring only incremental iterations and a few upgrades. If the team has a seasoned business analyst, it can flourish without a PDM. 具有一定产品经验的PJM就足够了.

定制的解决方案: 通常，公司本身并不开发产品, but rather custom solutions for one client – the company may not even own the relevant IP. 在这些情况下, the company likely doesn’t need a full-time PDM. The company can instead hire a 自由 PDM for the duration of the project, 或者雇佣一个有产品经验的PJM.

预算约束: 尽管需要为给定的项目提供PDM和PJM, 公司有时没有足够的预算聘请这两名员工. 在这些情况下, the company should seek someone with both strong product and project experience, 并且愿意长时间工作. Given the extra workload required, it may behoove a company to allow the employee to work remotely. Both remote work and flexible working hours are becoming more widespread and can enable companies to overcome difficult budget constraints.

The following checklist table can help a company quickly decide whether it needs a PDM, PJM or both:

产品经理 and 项目经理 are both essential to software product development and delivery. The best PDM and PJM talent will not only do what they are mandated, 但也要找到并解决不可预见的盲点. The key is to find the right talent, equipped to solve the challenges your organization faces. This is especially true if you are open to new models of working and utilizing a combination of full-time, 自由, 远程员工. 成功的领导者创造性地解决问题, and increasingly do so by deploying PDMs and PJMs in new, 灵活的方式.