What does your product journey look like?
No one starts in the middle!
Most articles on Product Venn diagrams talk about What is Product Management? Or Who a Product Manager is? Or Where do Product Managers fit? Or How a Product Manager learns things from each intersection. I don’t have a new version nor do I want to redefine what the intersection means
It's a Journey
When I first saw this years ago, I knew I wasn’t in the middle or Reuleaux triangle (that’s what the sweet spot is called) but knew I wanted to get there.
Modern-day Product Managers come from different facets of life. Our backgrounds are more diverse than the IPA’s we drink. From aerospace engineer to a history major to music to liberal arts to economies to CPA’s to zoologists and everything in between (ok I was hoping to find a zoologist who is in product but couldn’t so hoping there is one that reads this and sends me a note)
All of us have a different journey to map and all have a different starting intersection on the Venn Diagram.
Here’s mine, how does yours look?
I would imagine my journey is pretty chalk, started in tech as a quality analyst then got into business analysis and finally into product. I was extremely lucky to have some really good mentors along the way to guide me to the intricacies of product development. I learned a lot at ING and Capital One. I am where I am today because of this journey and am proud of the path that led me there.
I am not done yet, there is so much more to learn and explore but perspective is a huge deal and having it now makes me want to question everything I did prior to it.
Map your journey, being self-aware of the intersection you have been in will help you work towards the ones you haven’t explored yet and will pave your way to the middle.
What does it mean to be in the middle? And Why does it matter?
For one we map our user’s journey so why wouldn’t you want to map yours? Plus, I think it is a pretty darn good story to tell.
One of the most important things about product management is decision making and when you are in middle you get comfortable making product decisions. I don’t think decision making gets any easier but you lean on your experiences in each intersection that allows you to make an informed decision.
My first iteration had a 4th circle, yes I want to create a version of the already over-shared Venn Diagram. My Fourth circle was gut, ah those “Product Spidey senses”. As PM’s we need to be thoroughly data-driven, empathizing with our customers, understanding the market and the competition but we don’t necessarily have that information all the time and we have to trust our gut to make hard product decisions.
That ability to synthesize this intuitive sense with whatever data you have becomes much more seamless as you get to the middle.
Thank you for reading. If you liked this don’t hesitate to reach out on LinkedIn.
