Over the past few weeks, I’ve been helping people transition into product management and product managers explore other roles in tech.
This week, I’ll be sharing some of the highlights from those conversations. First up, software engineers and product management!
Software Engineers -> Product Management
I’d be willing to bet you already do well to solve problems and build solutions. Now, you need to shift your focus to customer needs, business impact, and overall strategy. A big part of product management is to focus on the “why.” Sure, there’s a lot you could do, but the question will always boil down to “but what should you do?”
Taking the experience of fellow SWEs that made the switch, you’ll also want to consider workplace politics and relations. Being an effective product manager requires you to be able to influence people without actually having authority over them; thus, understanding the social dynamics in your workplace help a lot more than one might expect.
Product Managers -> Software Engineering
Some PMs find a bit of resistance switching their focus from the “why” to the “how.” You’ll want to learn the basics of things like system design, code syntax, and debugging. A great way to pick this up (and my personal favorite) is to work with engineers on diagramming tech specs and workflow diagrams.
I personally came from a SWE background; particularly Java, C++, and Python — that realm of it. Learning how software is put together and the trade offs of using one approach over another helped me to better understand what SWE’s need to know when my user stories and requirements arrive into their sprints.
If you’re considering a switch from SWE to PM or PM to SWE, reach out if you have any questions! I’ve been at this for well over a decade and am happy to help and share what I’ve seen help and not help.
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