Very insightful. Relates well to the successful technologists/product managers I have known. Technology leadership will do well to spell these traits out frequently across functions and experience levels and make such thinking a 'Culture' thing. Thanks!
Of course, the concept of product sense is mainly focusing on products managers, but it also helps a lot of engineers and designers (and all other related funtctions) also show some kind of product sense.
And yes, I have seen people develop product sense over time. It is definitely trainable.
Yes, it's just about equally valuable for engineers and designers in my opinion. But you can be a very good engineer and pretty good designer despite not-so-great product sense.
It's such a random sign of good product sense that I considered leaving it out, but as I reflected more on great product minds that I've worked with I realized that it's a very common pattern.
Is it possible that you can have really good product taste, which is different to your definition on product sense? i.e., somebody who can judge really well, but maybe can't do the rapid prototype, or be any good in a hakathon?
Sure, but in my experience great product sense is 10-100x more valuable than great product judgment. You get paid for having a good product not for having good opinions.
How do you define knowledge? I’d say expertise and knowledge are not the same thing. You can study and gain a lot of knowledge about a certain topic. Then you try to apply it in real-life and get stuck, fail or realise what you knew wasn’t applicable. Knowledge itself is a broad concept.
I don't think that product sense has much to do with knowledge, generally. I think it's more about a set of skills than knowing anything in particular.
How do you define knowledge? I’d say expertise and knowledge are not the same thing. You can study and gain a lot of knowledge about a certain topic. Then you try to apply it in real-life and get stuck, fail or realise what you knew wasn’t applicable. Knowledge itself is a broad concept.
Very insightful. Relates well to the successful technologists/product managers I have known. Technology leadership will do well to spell these traits out frequently across functions and experience levels and make such thinking a 'Culture' thing. Thanks!
I'm going to use this post as a position description from now on.
Of course, the concept of product sense is mainly focusing on products managers, but it also helps a lot of engineers and designers (and all other related funtctions) also show some kind of product sense.
And yes, I have seen people develop product sense over time. It is definitely trainable.
Yes, it's just about equally valuable for engineers and designers in my opinion. But you can be a very good engineer and pretty good designer despite not-so-great product sense.
“after we talked yesterday afternoon, I put together a prototype in the evening and it’s ready to go.”
I love it when people have this approach and focus on testable ideas!
It's such a random sign of good product sense that I considered leaving it out, but as I reflected more on great product minds that I've worked with I realized that it's a very common pattern.
It's something that really stands out to me in the indie hacker community and for those that have bootstrapped a SaaS to significant MRR!
Great article!
Is it possible that you can have really good product taste, which is different to your definition on product sense? i.e., somebody who can judge really well, but maybe can't do the rapid prototype, or be any good in a hakathon?
Sure, but in my experience great product sense is 10-100x more valuable than great product judgment. You get paid for having a good product not for having good opinions.
How do you define knowledge? I’d say expertise and knowledge are not the same thing. You can study and gain a lot of knowledge about a certain topic. Then you try to apply it in real-life and get stuck, fail or realise what you knew wasn’t applicable. Knowledge itself is a broad concept.
I don't think that product sense has much to do with knowledge, generally. I think it's more about a set of skills than knowing anything in particular.
Agree, my comment knowledge was about the previous comment from Benedikt.
Product sense = expertise
I am not so sure. Expertise usually means "knowledge", but product sense is more about how to approach problems and situations.
How do you define knowledge? I’d say expertise and knowledge are not the same thing. You can study and gain a lot of knowledge about a certain topic. Then you try to apply it in real-life and get stuck, fail or realise what you knew wasn’t applicable. Knowledge itself is a broad concept.