Jun 25, 2024
The Role Overlap Between PM and PD
Roles in product and design teams often overlap. Both product managers and product designers talk to customers, come up with feature ideas, and suggest UX improvements.
However, these overlaps can sometimes lead to conflict and frustration.
The solution is quite simple.
If you're a product manager and your product designer is doing a great job, take a step back. There are plenty of other things you can do without getting in each other's way - review and update your product strategy, improve collaboration with other departments, or even write a blog post. These are all good options!
If you are a product designer and the product manager is taking over your responsibilities, communicate openly about the overlap and seek a balance in responsibilities.
When Should Product Managers Step In?
- When your Product Designer asks for help.
- When you need to accelerate research and interviews.
- When the quality of the Product Designer’s work does not meet the required standards. In this case, provide constructive feedback and then step back.
While clear roles are important, so is fostering a culture of flexibility where team members can contribute beyond their defined responsibilities.
Push for open communication and occasional role fluidity to maintain creativity and innovation.
Also checkout out "3 Quick Tips for Better Teamwork".
If you're curious about how product managers and product designers can work well together, check out Product Development Roles and Responsibilities. It explains the key duties each role typically has and how they collaborate to create successful products.
However, these overlaps can sometimes lead to conflict and frustration.
The solution is quite simple.
If you're a product manager and your product designer is doing a great job, take a step back. There are plenty of other things you can do without getting in each other's way - review and update your product strategy, improve collaboration with other departments, or even write a blog post. These are all good options!
If you are a product designer and the product manager is taking over your responsibilities, communicate openly about the overlap and seek a balance in responsibilities.
When Should Product Managers Step In?
- When your Product Designer asks for help.
- When you need to accelerate research and interviews.
- When the quality of the Product Designer’s work does not meet the required standards. In this case, provide constructive feedback and then step back.
While clear roles are important, so is fostering a culture of flexibility where team members can contribute beyond their defined responsibilities.
Push for open communication and occasional role fluidity to maintain creativity and innovation.
Also checkout out "3 Quick Tips for Better Teamwork".
Overlap Between a PM and a PD
| Responsibility | Description |
|---|---|
| Exploring Problem Spaces | Identifying and analysing user problems and needs to inform product and design decisions |
| Customer Research | Conducting market research, user interviews, and usability testing |
| Feature Ideation | Brainstorming, defining, and contributing to new feature ideas and conceptual designs |
| Prototyping | Creating wireframes, workflow diagrams, and prototypes |
| User Feedback | Gathering and analysing user feedback |
| Testing | Conducting A/B tests and analysing results |
| Documentation | Writing product requirements and specifications |
| Collaboration | Working and collaborating with engineering, marketing and product teams |
If you're curious about how product managers and product designers can work well together, check out Product Development Roles and Responsibilities. It explains the key duties each role typically has and how they collaborate to create successful products.
About Max Antonov
Head of Product @ Backpocket and a Product Coach.
I write about product management and random topics that are on my mind.
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