Watching a number of interviews from Product Managers, I was struck by their descriptions of analysis and decision making processes and the similarity with the decision making processes of the General Practitioner. Here are three key functions that a GP shares with a Product Manager.
1. Looking past the symptom
“Doctor, my pinky hurts!”
The first step is to look for an abrasion, slap a band-aid on, and tell them to come back in a few days if it still hurts.
But what if the underlying issue is tight sleeves, a trapped nerve, or hypochondria?
Just as a GP needs to investigate the symptom to find the root cause, the Product Manager needs to understand the underlying motivation of feature requests.
Is the feature a symptom of a larger problem? Does it address core business requirements? Or does it just make one person’s job easier?
People tend to not look beyond their current issue, and largely focus on what is in front of them. We’re also notorious for not knowing what we really want.
People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. — Steve Jobs
Review the request, hunt for more evidence, and plan around the ultimate goal.
The ability to triage symptoms is key to understanding the appropriate next steps.
2. Everything is a test
“I’m sending you for further tests.”
Who hasn’t heard that phrase before? You’ve dragged yourself out of bed to get a quick diagnosis, and before you know it, you’re driving across town dropping off blood samples for a chemistry experiment.
Doctors are, unfortunately, not all seeing and all knowing. Investigations are performed to understand what else is going on in your body. These test results provide the information to supply a suspected diagnosis.
From their own inferences, and conversations with specialists, the GP and Product Manager constructs hypotheses for next actions to take. They both need to gather more data and test their ideas.
Investigations must inform decision making. Positive, or negative results can chip away at the unknown, allowing for selection of better next steps.
The Product Manager constantly tests their ideas and assumptions, running experiments to understand actionable next steps that benefit the customer.
3. Bedside Manner
Effective communication helps GPs understand your issue better, building trust in the relationship and reducing errors as well as getting the patient engaged in what’s needed.
GPs need to be able to effectively communicate with patients and their carers during different stages of their journey and across difficult emotional states.
Similarly, Product Managers need to be able to effectively communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, from customers, users, engineers, sales, designers, executives and investors — saying nothing about their emotional states!
Improving a Product Managers ‘bedside manner’ will reduce misunderstandings and build confidence among stakeholders.
Just as GPs need to refine their communication depending on the situation, Product Managers alter their manner depending on their audience. Building trust is key for both roles to achieve an optimal outcome.
In Conclusion
I know, it’s not just doctors. It’s just problem solving. But I happened to be getting a jab recently…