Product managers and software developers often have complicated "love-hate" relationships. When there's chemistry, the entire company flourishes; when there are conflicts, everyone suffers. Let's explore what works best and what pitfalls to avoid.

‍

Organizational Structure 

Companies structure their "chain of command" for Product and R&D differently, but separation is common. Typically, you have:

1. VP R&D/CTO: The "chief of staff" for developers, with directors, team leads, or engineers reporting to them.
2. VP Product/CPO/Head of Product: In charge of product managers, product owners, and directors of product.

‍

This separation is generally healthy, as R&D and Product teams have different professional skills, daily routines, and KPIs. 

However, collaboration is crucial:

• R&D working without Product may create "pseudo-product" people who end up managing Jira tasks and prioritizing bugs.
• Product teams working on "small features that don't need R&D" may find themselves coding like regular engineers.
• Avoiding direct interaction with R&D by sending high-level emails or project definition docs rarely leads to successful implementation.

‍

Processes

‍

Both Product and R&D teams can work in project mode (Waterfall) or Agile methodologies. The key question is: Are they aligned?

If both PM and Dev teams agree on the process, it can work. However, misalignment leads to inefficiency.

 A Product team running their own daily standups and presenting fancy reports every two weeks while the Dev team lags in a three-month implementation stage creates a disconnect. On the other hand, PMs not following Jira implementations at the same pace as development, or engineers not asking timely questions about features, reduce the chances of a good end result.

‍

These “method gaps” create a “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” effect. Not the best way to succeed, I must say.

Timelines and deliveries can be perceived differently: 

• Dev teams working in sprints commit to sprint deliveries, which may not align perfectly with external timelines as reflected by a Product Owner 
• Product Owners must create the right expectations, while Dev teams need to meet them (see this and other estimation dilemmas in another post).

‍

Speaking the Same Language

‍

Collaboration is key to successful Product-Developer interaction, and it takes two to tango.

If a Front-end developer used to work with Figma and some textual description of the user interaction, the Product manager should provide designs in that format.

However, if a task involves some heavy “back office” computation logic  - there is no way a Backend developer can figure it out from a UI sketch. The Product should go the extra mile and attach sequence diagrams, API specs or data samples.

‍

It works both ways: when a developer wants a PM’s feedback or stumbles upon a product question, chances that an exception stack trace with cryptic methods/variables will tell anything meaningful to anybody outside R&D are minimal.

The Synergy 

In the end, it's all about finding the right balance. When Product and Development teams align their processes, communicate effectively, and respect each other's domains, magic happens. The "slightly a product guy" developer and the "slightly a developer" product manager create a powerful synergy that drives innovation and success. Remember, it's not about being friends or foes - it's about being partners in creating amazing products. So, speak the same language, collaborate closely, and watch your company flourish!

‍

‍