Recently one of my colleagues posed a question to me " Why do Product Managers always try to be Project Managers", if you want to be a project managers then come to the development team.
I was taken aback by this question and had no good answer except that, " I do not wish to be a Project Manager". Later I started thinking about what he said and look for answers and here is my self reflection on that.
Wikipedia has the following distinction between a Product manager and Project Manager,
"Any type of product or service — pharmaceuticals, building construction, vehicles, electronics, computer software, financial services, etc. — may have its implementation overseen by a project manager and its operations by a product manager"[.].
Do you agree with this. Also is my colleague correct in characterizing Product Managers, as Project Managers trying to micro manage everything, tell me your thoughts.
One snippet for thought. In Wikipedia you also find the following,
"Diverse interpretations regarding the role of the product manager are the norm. The product manager title is often used in many ways to describe drastically different duties and responsibilities. Even within the high-tech industry where product management is better defined, the product manager's job description varies widely among companies. This is due to tradition and intuitive interpretations by different individuals."
