If you’ve worked in tech, you know the struggle of rocky relationships between product and engineering teams. Over the past few years, I've led both product managers and engineers, and here are my top tips for fostering an excellent relationship between these crucial teams. Yes - it is possible. 😀
1. Have a Bias For Strategic Action
Engineers love solving problems and feel unproductive when they're not working on solutions. Product managers tend to be optimistic, while engineers are often skeptical. Engineers usually point out why something won’t work.
Actionable Tip: The best product managers maintain a backlog of thoughtful problems to solve for the customer. Discuss potential downsides and strategies to overcome them. This shows engineers that you are aware of risks and have plans to address them. It also provides a steady stream of validated problems for engineers to solve, fostering a bias for strategic action.
Why It Works: Engineers are motivated by action. When product managers have a well-thought-out backlog, it keeps engineers engaged and focused on solving real customer problems. This proactive approach builds trust and respect between teams.
2. Use Simple Processes
Engineers dislike excessive process and meetings. They acknowledge the value but prefer minimalism.
Actionable Tip: Introduce new processes thoughtfully and keep them simple. Avoid jargon and unnecessary complexity. Maintain a regular schedule of limited meetings—daily stand-ups, planning meetings, demo days, and retros. Stick to this cadence and avoid ad-hoc meetings, giving engineers more time to focus on their work.
Why It Works: Simplified processes and fewer meetings mean more time for engineers to do what they love—coding and problem-solving. This reduces frustration and increases productivity, leading to a happier and more efficient team.
3. Partner on Solutions
Engineers often have great ideas for solving customer problems.
Actionable Tip: Focus on the problem space rather than dictating specific solutions through extensive documentation. Bring validation, research, and understanding of the problem to the engineering team. Partner with them to ideate, prototype, and test solutions. This approach yields better solutions and strengthens your relationship with the engineering team.
Why It Works: Collaboration in the ideation process leverages the technical expertise of engineers and aligns their efforts with customer needs. This not only results in innovative solutions but also fosters a sense of ownership and partnership.
4. Respect Technical Debt
Technical debt needs proper attention and respect. Simply expecting engineers to handle it with extra time signals a lack of understanding.
Actionable Tip: Trust your engineering team to highlight important technical debt that should be included in the product roadmap. Recognize that a non-working product won’t delight any customers. Give technical debt the respect it deserves to maintain a competitive and high-quality codebase.
Why It Works: Properly addressing technical debt ensures that the product remains maintainable and scalable. This prevents future bottlenecks and issues, allowing the team to deliver high-quality features more consistently.
5. Spend Time Together
Building relationships improves collaboration. Yet, this is often overlooked.
Actionable Tip: Find time to grab meals, do activities, or share hobbies with your engineering team. Casual interactions build trust. Research shows people go to those they trust in times of need, not necessarily experts. Be a trusted person in the company, not just an expert in the product. This makes it easier to have a strong and productive working relationship.
Why It Works: Spending time together outside of work-related tasks helps to build personal connections. Trust is a critical component of effective collaboration, and informal interactions can significantly strengthen team bonds.
It is Possible
I’ve seen amazing product and engineering partnerships and some not-so-great ones. Teams that take the time to improve their relationship really see the benefits. While natural tensions exist, the best teams put in the effort to work well together, resulting in more successful products.
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