What does a product guy do

I like to look at and structure things from different angle.

In term of the product life cycle, a product guy needs to involve

• before the product is made: he needs to evaluate thing such as

  • is this product/feature actually needed ?
  • how it will work ?
  • when it will be delivered ?
  • how do we know it's a success ?

• when the product is made

  • get feedback from the customers and adjust accordingly (if needed)
  • research the external factors to see if there's any impact

• after the product is made

  • tracking the metrics we set on
  • share the value with stakeholders to motivate the team
  • back to step 1 to continue improving it

In term of the stakeholder, a product guy needs to talk with

• stake-holder: those who want to create this
• customers: those who will actually use it
• team member: those who implement it

The important attitude he needs to have is the desire to make customers happy and solving their problem. This will increase his credibility in the stake-holder's eye. He also needs to motivate the team member, "the team" is kind of like his own product which he needs to grow.

In term of view, a product guy needs to look at the problem

• from an overview stand-point
• from a daily executional stand-point

It's the art of balancing different peope needs but still hyper focused on the end goal: bring value to customers.