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Difference between Senior Product Manager and Product Manager

April 5th, 2011 | Product Management

How do you distinguish between a Senior Product Manager and a Product Manager?

Is it strictly in experience?
Is it responsibility? If so, which responsibilities?
Other factors?

My gut tells me it is just experience, but then how do you know someone has had the right experience to qualify for or graduate to a Product Manager?

My head tells me it is the way someone thinks, but then how do you know someone has the right brain patterns for Senior Product Manager?

Comments?

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    • Anonymous

      A PM listens carefully to customers and is able to summarize their wants clearly.
      A Senior PM (SPM) listens to what customers don’t say and finds their needs.

      A PM watches how customers do their job to understand more about their requirements.
      A SPM looks for “workarounds” and “shortcuts” customers have been using to get things done and understands what customers will pay for.

      A PM looks at competition and makes sure his product is “better” in every possible way.
      A SPM looks at competition and makes sure his product is “different” such that nobody else can even come close to same value proposition

      A PM looks at the products and clearly articulates value props.
      A SPM looks at desired value props from customers and then designs the products

      A PM spends time with his customer.
      A SPM lives with customers and uses his own product.

      thanks,
      AA

      • http://www.strategicproductmanager.com/ Stewart Rogers

        Great comment! Not sure I completely agree on the last one, “A SPM lives with customers and uses his own product.” I have no need to use my product.

    • Tim Johnson

      Ooh. What he said… (great post, tech_lvr)

      I had a similar discussion the other day at #svpcamp. One thing that popped: Junior PMs do what they’re told – well. Senior PMs know what to do very well without being told.

      Tj

      • http://www.strategicproductmanager.com/ Stewart Rogers

        I hear you on Junior PMs, but there are cases where you have experienced PM. What about experienced PMs who want to become SPMs?

    • http://twitter.com/JohnCrespi JohnCrespi

      I guess it depends on how many, their experience and to whom they report. If many, then I’ve seen VP of PM -> Group PM -> Senior PM -> PM ->Junior PM.

      If it’s in a small company and you only have one, then Senior, Junior, or just PM doesn’t really matter.

      And sometimes the customer will help you decide if that person is Senior or not.

      My two cents.

    • M_Spasic

      What is well summarized in the first comment is more distinction between good PM and better PM…by default we want better PM for any product. I think PM vs senior PM differentiation is experience (which in turn influences set of responsibilities) that allows senior PM to focus on broader scope, most likely in market analysis and business planning and leaves the space for PMs who will handle specifics of a single product or an area of a complex product (requirements definition, cross functional engagements, customer engagement, life cycle activities etc. as they relate to that one aspect of a product or a single product of a larger portfolio). In a small company of e.g. one PM – this PM must be senior, unless CEO, or similar, is playing role of senior PM. In a large company, you must have both, and “non-senior” PMs have very important role to enable the product management to function at all. But both should strive to approach using the best set of principles in product management.

    • Anonymous

      Stewart, you are asking a career progression question. This can be answered by looking outside just product management. An associate is akin to a journeyman, they are still learning the basics of the trade. A PM as tech_Ivr indicates is able to perform the tasks independently but don’t look for them to innovate when something new arises. There bag of tools is only so deep. They also would not be responsible for others. This is where the Sr. PM begins to create distinction. They have had enough time to have made some mistakes, figure out how to make things work when there is no formula and they can pass along this knowledge to others (1 or 2). They are also gaining responsibility for the bottom line. The regular PM is aware of it, but others are covering. At the Sr. PM level, the cover is thinner and their opinion is often the decider.

      Now, if you have a flat organization or a small PM group it can get murky what the difference is especially if you lump them all together. The separation really comes with a larger org and needing the titles to identify who the go to person is for something. At a smaller org, everyone knows what the others are doing or capable of.

    • http://twitter.com/gander2112 Geoffrey Anderson

      Some great comments, and a lively exchange around this on twitter.

      For me, what makes the difference is when a PM is ready to think beyond his boundaries. They will instinctively take on more responsibility. They will become the “go to” guy/gal for all groups when a decision is needed. There will be an air of authority that is earned (yes, some experience is required).

      There will likely be some defining moments. A crisis will occur, that they will pick up and lead through. They may have to step in for the GM in a business review and have a brilliant performance in front of the CxO team. They become the main driver in the long term strategic planning.

      These were all part and parcel in my elevation to the title. Strangely, I didn’t feel and different, and I didn’t ask for it. It just happened.

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      Great looking website really.

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    • Kamal Ansari

      I think it more based on experience as he might have encountered more situation.