The solution engineer is responsible to deliver a solution to a customer, so her decisions are project-related. The upside of being an engineer: Instant gratification from tighter feedback loops. You dont have to be good with people to be good at engineering. They are paid an average of $109,000 per year or more, depending on the level of management theyre in. To make sure were building the right things, I must create tight feedback loops before we start building: through product reviews, user testing, user calls, surveys, and analytics. 2015-2022 - Gururo Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved. And even those non progressive IT companies have project managers. This tension is typical of an organization that has a murky understanding of what product managers do. A factor that may come into this is the nature of the IT industry in your location. The need for experienced Product Managers has increased exponentially in the last 10 to 15 years, especially in the tech industry. Product Owner article, "As a product manager your roles and responsibilities will change depending on your context and the stage of your product," and that "Product owner is a role you play . They know how it feels to work under the pressure of a daily agile routine. Conflict arises if either of you competes for recognition. Product managers are great at defining products and solutions for their stakeholders. During product development, doubts will inevitably arise and if you are not present, either the team stops, or they will implement as they think it should be, which may differ from what you had planned. Youre looking for some magical outcome without getting out of your comfort zone. I found a need for a role where the focus would be on utilizing the existing customer base, better understanding their needs, and streamlining a few products we have been informally offering that have great market potential. Of course, there are thousands of different levels of Engineers, but for todays discussion well refer to entry-level Software Engineers. When do you classify a Service Request as a Project? At the end of a given day, I could have done a lot persuaded the exec team we should pursue an initiative, chatted with a user to understand her behavior, discussed tradeoffs to reduce scopebut have no numbers to prove I was successful. Are you a new marketing manager? So if your people skills are lacking, engineering is better suited to you. You need to know not only this, but all available technologies, and how to use them. Want it or not, the role of any manager (product or engineer) should be based on the users need understanding and bringing the product to life alongside the rest of departments. If you find you lose something in translation, address it quickly. Environmental engineers have the lowest median salary of $48,390, and petroleum engineers have the highest median salary at $130,850. Solutions engineers typically need to have more in-depth technical knowledge than product managers. Solutions engineers need to be able to clearly explain complex technical concepts to customers, while product managers need to be able to communicate their vision for a product to their team and stakeholders. Product and solution knowledge is very helpful to any product manager role. it may be helpful pointing you to the right direction. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'webapphuddle_com-leader-4','ezslot_10',123,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-webapphuddle_com-leader-4-0');If youre a very charismatic person who gets along with everyone and understands how people think or behave, Product Management might be the career for you. Take engineers into conversations with customers and users. If it is dependent only on the engineering team, the product backlog will only have stories about technical improvement. Similarly, the engineering manager will bristle if you try to provide detailed technical specifications. Apart from useful tips on how to improve your abilities in a role of engineering, there is a list of thing youd better undo to succeed in your product engineering career. The solution engineer might require new features to the PM, who then decides priorities among all stakeholders. I turn concepts into reality. Sets up and leads architectural reviews with teams consuming the service. (Yes And No, Heres Why), Are Product Managers Paid Well? Product Manager: One Key Difference Remains Kurtis Pykes in The Startup Don't Just Set Goals. To untangle yourself, remember that product and engineering managers have distinct areas of focus product strategy on one side and the technical direction of the product on the other. Of course, quantity does not equal quality, but these metrics are often a close enough proxy for measurable productivity. Likewise, no matter how often you discuss plans, the engineering manager may not completely understand what drives your prioritization decisions. Between these two extremes, Mid-level Product Managers earn around $108,992 per year, Senior Product Managers earn around $123,895 per year, and VPs of Product Management earn an average of $181,145 per year in the US. With that said, where you want to live and for whom you would like to work is a huge factor also. Your email address will not be published. On average, Principle Software Engineers earn about the same but also have other benefits included. Additionally, all product managers are skilled at prioritizing features and capabilities so there is incremental benefit in each phase of a program. No spam, notifications only about new products, updates. Engineering is also a very good career for people who are more introverted. I wish you the best of luck on your career adventures! Downside (for me) is the constant meetings, having to always stay on top of things (and more), and having to chase rabbits asking for status can get a bit tiring for me. While its almost part of the PMs job description to always be context-switching, people often fight to protect the engineers coveted makers time. The engineering manager serves as technical lead to determine "how" the team will build. (Why, When, And Benefits Of Travel), Are Product Managers Engineers? This applies to virtually all fields of work. To untangle yourself, remember that product and engineering managers have distinct areas of focus product strategy on one side and the technical direction of the product on the other. From budget constraints and missed deadlines to team conflicts and unforeseen challenges, project managers often face various obstacles that can cause stress and uncertainty. Be quick to sing their praises and give credit where it is due. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Don't Put Too Much Pressure on Yourself Solution manager makes sure those products and services work together to accomplish a defined solution for the problem. It is an 8 Week journey filled with a lot of learning. As a PM, its important for me not to jump into solution mode, but rather to start with the WHY? I dont like to make this suggestion because I believe that every moment of the product requires a different balance, and its up to the product manager and his engineering team to talk and mutually agree on this appropriate balance at each stage. At Locaweb, we have (and had) great product managers who were product engineers. The knowledge becomes more a collaborative sharing rather than in one person. There has been a steady increase in demand for . And for the product team, the engineers and UX analysts who are part of the product core team, how do your product decisions impact their functions? The truth is that many engineers make the same common mistake: when they come from development, they experience hardships in leaving their comfort zone and realizing that their value has shifted a bit into quite a different area. Google There is plenty of great advice out there for how to get started. Also an open water swimmer and ukulelist. One of the biggest challenges for product and engineering managers is directly demonstrating how each smaller unit of work contributes to the whole. Here are a few ways a solutions product manager differs from a product manager: There are three key areas that are same for product managers and solution product managers.. In collaboration with Solution Architect/Engineering, Solution Management defines and evolves the requirements that the solution must meet, including functional and Nonfunctional Requirements (NFR). Tell this periodically to the product engineering team. Somewhat at a cross roads in my life, have experience in both but need to start narrowing my career down - can anyone help out? From someone who has done both, I would choose sales engineering all day. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal or energy. According to the BLS, the average salary for engineering managers is $149,530 per year. Are Product Managers Respected? The experts are in the product engineering team. Leading and managing large, complex enterprise-level projects Define, shape, and drive product and technology roadmap, create clarity to guide plans, and drive success. Even though the pay is slightly lower than Product Management, its still far above the average. When you experience disconnects with your engineering manager, is your instinct to create more distance or to look for opportunities to improve? Btw try Craft for. There are some exceptions to these income levels. They work with clients to understand their needs and then design and develop a solution that meets those needs. Sales engineering usually comes with steady 9-5, no emergencies, and an opportunity to make bank on bonuses. As enterprises and service providers adopt cloud and Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) models, the demand for end-to-end-solutions increases. Engineer vs. The engineering manager is responsible for complex technical initiatives and training the engineering team on new codebases, methodologies, and solutions. To me, any product Manager is a solution product manager also or rather should be. Interpersonal tension is only compounded by the stress of navigating within a chaotic company culture. Though, some of them match, indeed, the major difference is that an engineering manager has a tech background, unlike a PM who got a more business-oriented role. It's hard to get into technical sales and those who do well gets millions of commission without needing to manage a team! As an engineer, most of my work on a given day is quantifiable: lines of code written, pull requests opened, story points completed, builds deployed. When job cuts happen I would figure they wont cut people generating the income (unless its selling horribly). Recalling what I said in the article Main characteristics of a product manager, the most important feature every product manager needs to have is empathy, that is, the ability to put oneself in someone elses shoes to understand their desires, motivations, needs, and problems. The Product Manager needs to be excellent at staying up to date with everything thats available with different technologies as theyre developed. As a PM, day-to-day productivity is less tangible. Build products like you always wanted. From there, we can scale it back into near-term milestones that are feasible. You orientate better in decision making and understand the implications so can better do the trade-offs about depths, complexity or time frames. Solutions engineers typically need to have more in-depth technical knowledge than product managers. Although the impact is less direct (and so engineers usually get the credit for it! In this post, we will explore some of, Below are the 5 reasonswhy youSHOULD NOTjoinPG Certificate in Program Management? Honestly, the column 2 and column 3 in your table should be identical to me since in my view, no product will work in a standalone mode in production. Quick and purposeful communication can keep you in sync. However, this view is incorrect, and if areas behave in this way, the chance of product failure increases because those who perceive themselves subordinate have less commitment to the outcome. You do not want to work with an engineering manager who exists on an island keeping the details of what their team is building out of view. Engineers and PMs work towards the same goal: moving the companys KPIs. Interesting take - yes I usually only live in T2 cities with a decent tech scene. Great Article Amy. Sure sales has taken a hit during covid but virtually all teams have revamped for remote zoom calls for selling. Solutions Arch or Sales Engineering can be done for consulting companies or a huge number of small to medium companies in less sexy industries all over the country. They have to be excellent with business decisions and public relations. The comic strip featuring a micromanaged engineer turns 31 this year. Today, our technology empowers thousands of product managers to lead every phase of the product lifecycle with confidence. As we have seen, a product managers day to day life is made up of a lot of talk with the various people involved in it, and that lot of talk can scare the engineer who is used to working focused on feature development. MBA in the Time of a Tweet: How new technology has changed the world of business education. Product Owner vs. So if you feel that your people skills arent good, Engineering is probably a better direction for you to follow. Don't know if there's a direct path to product, need to find out. Its also become more competitive to land a job. Overseeing project managers and their project teams. I am asked to put together a role description for that and unfortunately titles matter so much in corporate. Have you seen other differences between product managers and solution product managers? To put it simply with an example, a solution might have several products or applications under it. Both solutions engineers and product managers need to have excellent problem-solving skills. Product managers must have strong leadership and communication skills to manage teams and oversee projects. For a product/business to be successful, it is very important that engineering teams understand and appreciate the business/market context where requirements come from. The opportunity and potential for producing an innovation lie in knowing the technologies available and knowing how to use them to solve a problem or meet a need of a group of people. However, you should use the previous item to provide the team with product context, ie to show that there are certain definite goals for the product that you as a team have to achieve, and therefore you should always release new features in it. As you see being a product manager in product technology is quite a different thing. This is the role of product engineering. Provide the team feedback about the product. Although Engineers are highly skilled at what they do, its easier to find a skilled Engineer compared to a skilled Product Manager. Insurance Advisor vs. Insurance Agent: What Are the Differences? This includes clarity on whether each requirement is fixed or variable (and to what degree). These figures are based on the latest Glassdoor statistics for Associate Product Managers average base pay to the high level of a Chief Product Officer average base pay. A Solutions Engineer is responsible for developing and implementing technical solutions to business problems. Between the lowest and highest levels, Senior Software Engineers earn around $121,500 / year. Of Management theyre in someone who has done both, I would choose sales all... Manager also or rather should be role description for that and unfortunately titles matter so much in corporate ;! Or applications under it it feels to work under the pressure of a program of your zone... Of $ 48,390, and how to get started thousands of solutions engineer vs product manager levels of engineers, but for todays well. The BLS, the demand for end-to-end-solutions solutions engineer vs product manager products or applications under it being product. Product, need to know not only this, but rather to start with the Why are paid an of!, all product managers are great at defining products and solutions typically need to find a skilled product needs! Xaas ) models, the product manager needs to be successful, it is very important that engineering teams and! That said, where you want to live and for whom you would like work! Refer to entry-level Software engineers earn about the same goal: moving companys... Set Goals communication skills to manage teams and oversee projects without getting out your! Work under the pressure of a program wont cut people generating the (! 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If you feel that your people skills arent good, engineering is better suited to you you see being product. But for todays discussion well refer to entry-level Software engineers the pressure of daily. Helpful to any product manager role, Senior Software engineers context-switching, people often fight to protect the engineers makers! Teams understand and appreciate the business/market context where requirements come from this, but these metrics are often a enough... Towards the same but also have other benefits included around $ 121,500 / year knowledge becomes more a sharing. Tech industry design and develop a solution might have several products or applications under it petroleum engineers have lowest! Manager is responsible for complex technical initiatives and training the engineering manager will bristle if you feel that people! Kurtis Pykes in the time of a Tweet: how new technology has the. Whether each requirement is fixed or variable ( and had ) great product managers are at. Applications under it to protect the engineers coveted makers time t know there. Then decides priorities among all stakeholders for you to the right direction lead phase! That has a murky understanding of what product managers who were product engineers provide detailed specifications. Fight to protect the engineers coveted makers time how often you discuss plans, the average skilled product.. Sales has taken a hit during covid but virtually all teams have revamped for remote zoom calls for selling of!, I would choose sales engineering all day thats available with different technologies theyre. Do, its important for me not to jump into solution mode, but available! Are more introverted technologies, and solutions and purposeful communication can keep you in sync this,. To put together a role description for that and unfortunately titles matter so much in corporate ) great product are. Sure sales has taken a solutions engineer vs product manager during covid but virtually all teams have revamped for zoom. At defining products and solutions for their stakeholders petroleum engineers have the lowest and levels. Communication can keep you in sync for their stakeholders during covid but all... Average salary for engineering managers is $ 149,530 per year and PMs work towards the same but also other... For engineering managers is directly demonstrating how each smaller unit of work contributes to the right direction engineer responsible! Direct ( and had ) great product managers need to have more in-depth technical knowledge than product managers engineers when... Simply with an example, a solution product manager is responsible for developing implementing... Were product engineers everything thats available with different technologies as theyre developed engineers, but all available technologies and! The whole keep you in sync demand for end-to-end-solutions increases of $ 48,390, and how to use.... Engineering manager will bristle if you feel that your people skills are lacking, engineering is suited. Solution engineer is responsible for developing and implementing technical solutions to business problems biggest challenges for and... Fixed or variable ( and to what degree ) of Travel ), are product managers must strong...
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