【翻譯】本文由陳菜菜學(xué)習(xí)并翻譯自Marty Cagan的文章《The Best?Product Management Model?》，供產(chǎn)品愛好者交流使用。翻譯如有所不妥，歡迎指教探討。
最好的產(chǎn)品管理模型是什么？
由Marty Cagan 2008年1月4日發(fā)布
標(biāo)簽：企業(yè)文化，管理，產(chǎn)品管理模型
一個(gè)我經(jīng)常聽到的問題是“谷歌賺了大筆錢，我們怎么像它一樣做產(chǎn)品管理呢？”或是另一個(gè)常見的版本是“蘋果創(chuàng)造了奇妙的產(chǎn)品，我們怎么像它一樣做產(chǎn)品管理呢？”
你能夠理解為什么一些人看到谷歌或蘋果就覺得他們應(yīng)該模仿他們所做的。但是他們可能是在犯一個(gè)巨大的錯(cuò)誤。
不要誤會(huì)我的意思。當(dāng)蘋果和谷歌擁有產(chǎn)品管理的不同模式時(shí)，我認(rèn)為他們在做的事，對其公司來說是正確的（至少他們的創(chuàng)始人仍然繼續(xù)將這種模式深入地引入到產(chǎn)品管理中）。
但我至今還沒有向其他公司推薦過谷歌的產(chǎn)品管理模式。而在蘋果實(shí)現(xiàn)他們模式的情況下，你也不得不克隆喬布斯。
谷歌的產(chǎn)品管理模式是與眾不同的，而且我認(rèn)為它必須是不同的。對于蘋果來說也是一樣的道理。
對技術(shù)型產(chǎn)品經(jīng)理來說很重要的一系列技能，像評估機(jī)會(huì)、定義產(chǎn)品原則、產(chǎn)品研發(fā)和模型測試，然而，還有很多比技術(shù)更能使一個(gè)產(chǎn)品在組織中脫穎而出的因素。
正如對一個(gè)球隊(duì)來說，技能確實(shí)是特別重要的。如果你不能接到一個(gè)球，你很難成為一個(gè)守門員。然而，勝利需要比技能更多的東西。它需要一個(gè)比賽的計(jì)劃、一個(gè)策略來贏得勝利，需要作為團(tuán)隊(duì)成員的良好配合，需要利用機(jī)會(huì)、適應(yīng)環(huán)境場地。
同樣的，建立一個(gè)成功的產(chǎn)品管理組織不僅僅需要發(fā)展產(chǎn)品經(jīng)理的技能，更要確保他們知道如何有效地和其他產(chǎn)品團(tuán)隊(duì)配合好工作，這是企業(yè)中產(chǎn)品發(fā)展組織和產(chǎn)品發(fā)展過程的重要部分；知道創(chuàng)造企業(yè)需要的產(chǎn)品，知道如何在市場中出色地競爭。
當(dāng)我們談到企業(yè)最好的產(chǎn)品管理模式時(shí)，我正在尋找其中的因素，包括：
·產(chǎn)品管理的角色。在許多企業(yè)中，產(chǎn)品管理的角色和責(zé)任被分解，最好的產(chǎn)品管理模式是當(dāng)員工擁有能力和渴望去充當(dāng)這個(gè)角色。
·組織的規(guī)模。一個(gè)始于一個(gè)產(chǎn)品導(dǎo)向的創(chuàng)始人的12人創(chuàng)業(yè)團(tuán)隊(duì)，它的需求不同于一個(gè)擁有4000名員工和大量客戶的上市公司。
·企業(yè)文化。有時(shí)這是一個(gè)主導(dǎo)因素。例如，如果你有一家公司，公司有一兩個(gè)能為產(chǎn)品高效決策的人（并且希望持續(xù)高效決策），那么你需要一個(gè)適應(yīng)它的產(chǎn)品管理模式，而不要與之起沖突。
蘋果、谷歌、微軟、易趣和雅虎有不同的產(chǎn)品管理模型，而且我認(rèn)為他們必須是不同的。每種模式能夠繼續(xù)改進(jìn)嗎？答案是當(dāng)然的。每種模式能夠互相學(xué)習(xí)嗎？答案是絕對的。但是你不會(huì)通過將一種模式從一個(gè)企業(yè)強(qiáng)行加入到另一個(gè)企業(yè)。
除非一家企業(yè)決定改變它的企業(yè)文化。我反而認(rèn)為企業(yè)應(yīng)該專注于將自己的優(yōu)勢融入企業(yè)文化和運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)中，而且保證選擇的產(chǎn)品管理模式能夠積極地解決自身的弱勢。
【原文】
The Best Product Management Model?
Posted by Marty Cagan on January 4, 2008
Tags:company culture,management,product management model
One question I get quite frequently is “Google is making boatloads ofmoney, so how can we do product management like Google?” Or another commonvariant is “Apple creates fantastic products. How can we do product managementlike Apple?”
You can understand why some might look at Google or Apple and think theyshould just clone what they do. But odds are they’d be making a big mistake.
Don’t get me wrong. While Apple and Google have very different models ofproduct management, on the whole I’d argue they’re right for their companies(at least as long as their founders continue to stay so deeply involved inproduct).
But I have yet to recommend Google’s model of product management to othercompanies. And in the case of Apple, to implement their model you’d have toclone Steve Jobs.
The product management model for Google is very different, and I argue itneeds to be, and the same is true for Apple.
While there are a set of skills that are important for all tech productmanagers – skills like assessing opportunities, defining product principles,product discovery, and prototype testing – there’s more to succeeding in anorganization than just the skills involved.
It’s much like a sports team. Yes the skills are critically important. Ifyou can’t catch a ball, you won't go far as a receiver. However, winningrequires more than skills. It requires having a game plan or strategy forwinning, working well as a member of a team, adapting to your opponent, theplaying field, and the conditions.
Similarly, building a successful product management organization requiresnot only developing the skills of your product managers, but making sure theyknow how to work effectively with the rest of the product team, as a key partof your company’s overall product development organization and productdevelopment process, and knowing how to create the type of products yourcompany requires, and knowing how to compete successfully in the markets youplay in.
When I talk with a company about the “best” product management model forthem, I’m looking at several factors, including:
- The Type of Product. It matters whether you’re producing a consumerinternet service, a consumer electronics device, enterprise software, or asmall business services. There are unique challenges of each and the modelshould suit the needs.
- The Product Development Process. For example, if the product developmentteam is using Scrum there are very specific demands on the product managers anddesigners. Understanding the product development process is essential. Everyprocess has limitations and the “best” product management model willproactively attack these limitations.
- The Role of Product Management. In many companies the roles andresponsibilities are sliced up differently and the “best” product managementmodel is one where the staff has the ability and the desire to serve the rolethat’s needed. This also applies to the other key related roles such asinteraction designers and engineers, founders and executives.
- The Size of the Organization. A 12-person venture-funded startup with avery involved product-oriented founder, has very different needs than a4000-employee public company with a large base of existing customers.
- The Company Culture. Sometimes this is in fact the dominant factor. For example,if you have a company where one or two people effectively make all the productdecisions that matter (and want to continue doing so), then you want a productmanagement model that facilitates this, rather than fights it.
Apple, Google, Microsoft, eBay, and Yahoo all have different productmanagement models, and I argue they should. Could each be improved? Certainly.Could you learn things from each of them? Absolutely. But you won’t improve bytrying to force-fit a model from one company into another.
Unless a company has made the decision that they want to try to changetheir culture, I instead typically focus on getting the company to embrace thestrengths of their culture or process, and make sure the product managementmodel they select is proactive in addressing the weaknesses.
