Introduction
In today's tech industry, there is a growing gap between technical architects, tech professionals and product managers. This gap can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and ultimately, the failure of digital and software products.
I am writing this article to share my experiential takeaways gained in my last 15 years that may assist how product capability uplift and product management exploration can assist technical architects and tech professionals to uplift their effectiveness, collaboration, and overall contribution to product development and success.
The Gap
Technical architects and tech professionals are responsible for the technical aspects and tech enablements of product development. They are experts in the technologies that are used to build products, and they are responsible for ensuring that products are designed and implemented in a way that is feasible and scalable.
Product managers, on the other hand, are responsible for the product vision, roadmap, and strategy. They are experts in the needs of users, and they are responsible for ensuring that products meet those needs.
The gap between technical architects and professionals and product managers can be caused by a number of factors, including:
Different skillsets: Technical architects and professionals have different skill-sets than product managers. Technical architects and professionals are experts in technology, while product managers are experts in user-customer needs.
Different priorities: Technical people are typically focused on the technical feasibility of products, while product managers are typically focused on the marketability of products.
Different communication styles: Technical architects and tech people often communicate in a technical way, while product managers often communicate in a more business-oriented way.
architectural decisions align with product requirements, creating solutions that not only meet technical specifications but also designed by using principles as viability, feasibility, sustainability and maintability
Ways through which Product Capability Learning can help Tech Folks:
Aligning Architectural Decisions with Business and Product Needs: Product capability learning equips technical architects with a deep understanding of customer needs, market trends, and user-centric design principles. With this knowledge, architects can ensure that their architectural decisions align with product requirements, creating solutions that not only meet technical specifications but also designed by using principles as viability, feasibility, sustainability and maintability. By incorporating a customer-centric and business focused approach, architects can design solutions that resonate with end-users and business needs, resulting in higher satisfaction and adoption rates.
Balancing Technical Feasibility and Business Objectives: Product capability learning provides technical architects with a business-oriented mindset, enabling them to align architectural decisions with overall business objectives. By understanding product strategy, market needs, and revenue models, gradually, evolve to map to their technical roadmap, architects can make informed decisions that consider both technical feasibility and business viability. This balance ensures that architectural choices contribute to the success of the product and align with the organization's strategic goals.
Fostering Innovation and Future Readiness: Product capability learning encourages tech professionals to stay updated on emerging technologies, industry trends, and innovative solutions. Technical architects / folks who possess product capability and product management knowledge can proactively identify opportunities for innovation within their architectural designs. They can explore and evaluate new technologies, suggest innovative solutions, and contribute fresh ideas to the product development process. This forward-thinking approach enhances the organization's ability to stay competitive, leverage emerging technologies, and remain future-ready.
Collaborating Effectively with Cross-functional Teams: Product management learning emphasizes the importance of cross-functional collaboration and effective communication. Technical people who possess product management skills can bridge the gap between technical teams, product managers, designers, and business stakeholders. They can effectively translate technical concepts, constraints, and possibilities to non-technical colleagues, fostering collaboration, alignment, and shared understanding. This collaboration leads to more efficient product development cycles, reduced friction between teams, and improved overall product outcomes.
How a technical person can build Product Capability
Building product capability as a technical person involves developing a set of skills and knowledge that complement technical expertise. Here are some steps to build product capability. Some of the most effective ways include:
Developing Product Sense: Technical people can uplift their capability by building product sense. You may refer to my article which I wrote about Product Sense.
Embrace Customer-Centric Thinking: Shift your mindset from Only Technical thinking towards UX- end-user and business viability throughout the product development process. Always think and ask yourself, how your technical decisions contribute to improving the user experience and delivering value. This customer-centric approach will help you align your technical skills with the broader product goals.
Develop Business Acumen: Expand your knowledge beyond technical domains and develop business acumen. Understand your organization's business model, product needs, revenue streams, and market dynamics. This understanding will enable you to make technical decisions that align with the overall product strategy and roadmap that will help to contribute in the success of the product.
Enhance Communication and Collaboration Skills: Strengthen your communication and collaboration skills to effectively bridge the gap between technical and non-technical stakeholders. Practice articulating / sharing complex technical concepts in a way that is understandable to non-technical colleagues / product / business users.
Conclusion
Product management learning is an essential skill for technical architects and professionals in today's tech industry. By learning about product management and Building Your Product Capability, technical architects and professionals can better understand user needs, product vision, customer/user, make better decisions about product design and development, and improve collaboration with other stakeholders.
I believe that this article may assist you to understand the importance of product management learning for technical architects and professionals. If you are interested in learning more about product management, I encourage you to re-visit to the pointers resources listed above.
About the Author
Anubhav Sinha is a Co-founder as well as the course developer of the Product Capability Uplift. In this role, Anubhav leads the development of the PMA as well as works as the product thinker of the Product Capability Uplift PMA.
Anubhav Sinha is a product coach, a product management practitioner and technology product geek with around one and half decade of the product management and development experience that ranges widely in the B2B and B2IB product space. He is known for contributing and creating products majorly in the start-up space, helping start-ups in their early stages and contributing industry product organisations as user-experience flow optimiser. He had served industry as Principal Product Owner [co-founder], Product and Design Thinking Coach, Product Owner and Transformation Coach.
Anubhav holds a Post-Graduation in Marketing - IB and Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics.
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