The “technical” product manager

Should a product manager be tech-savvy? Some naysayers dare to claim that a product manager doesn’t need technical knowledge. After all, engineers or other specialists are supposed to handle the technical nature of the product. In fact, interfering with R&D stuff as “an outsider” may even be considered as an insult.

I believe that having a strong technical background, education and/or knowledge has some substantial advantages for product managers.

With a profound technical knowledge and understanding, the product manager is more capable of understanding engineering choices with regards to the design of the product. Even better, you can make an argument against certain choices if they’re not in line with customer requirements.

With profound technical knowledge, the product manager will be in a better place to judge field problems when confronted with them. With the right experience and technical insight, a product manager will be able to do first line analysis and direct the problem to the right person so the issue gets de-escalated and the customer is happy for the quick service.

With a profound technical knowledge, the product manager can understand new technologies and trends much faster and see their potential benefits. You can react faster than your competition and have your product portfolio take the lead in the market.

In fact, I am always surprised to see product managers who do not have their own product on their desk (unless, of course, it is a car or other large, noisy, smelly, or ugly thing). Product managers should at least have worked with their own products, used them, tested them, and pushed them to their limits. Having your own product near you on the desk and “playing” with it is the best way to understand it technically inside and out.

The product manager does not have to be a programmer (although it sometimes helps). A product manager should know and understand at least the technical basics of his product line. Learning them will add substantial value to the job. A list of sources and methods to gain and maintain technical knowledge can be found in my book “Practical Product Management”. Go to https://www.neobasics.be/product/shop-practical-product-management for a description of the book contents, a preview and how to order it.