Core Functions: Aligning with Product Management (PM)

> "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with your PM." > _Ancient Cyber PMM Proverb_

Introduction

Your most important working relationship as a PMM is with your Product Management (PM) counterpart(s). A solid PMM + PM team is a yin and yang duo that will make or break your product's success in the market. Getting this relationship right yields more customers, more revenue growth, and more market share. It just makes sense to work together.

This post shares what I've learned to help you successfully navigate working with PMs. This is based on working with 30+ PMs across 7 cyber vendors launching dozens of products over the past 11 years. It wasn't always smooth sailing, though I did work with some great PMs and have seen the impact that a PMM+PM tandem can make.

PMM + PM Team Styles

PMM + PM teams will likely fall somewhere within a matrix between being market driven vs. internal driven, and having strong collaboration vs. weak collaboration. Here are the styles:

• Builders (Internal Driven, Strong Collaboration): Joint teams that solidify internal strategies and execution, leveraging a symbiotic relationship between PMM and PM to refine product and operational innovations.
• Trailblazers (Market Driven, Strong Collaboration): Cohesive PMM and PM teams that pioneer market-leading products, combining market insights with consumer needs to set industry standards.
• Janitors (Internal Driven, Weak Collaboration): PMM and PM teams focused on sustaining existing products and processes with minimal collaborative initiatives to push beyond the status quo.
• Observers (Market Driven, Weak Collaboration): PMM and PM teams that monitor market trends yet lack integrated efforts, resulting in a passive approach to market opportunities and product advancements.