Product Management is just like Google Maps

Now, bear with me on this one! The whole analogy piece has been done before, so apologies if this one has already been done. I'm not plagiarising, it just occurred to me that this made sense.

For some nice examples of stretching an analogy, check out Darth Vader as a Project Manager and Leadership Lessons from Captain Kirk. And yes, I do enjoy the odd Sci Fi movie now and again!

Google Maps & Product Management
It's all about scale. As a Product Manager, you need to be able to think about things on the macro and micro level. Now for the analogy...

StreetView
If you search for a location on Google Maps and use the StreetView application, you get a great look at where you actually want to be. Just in the same way that a Product Manager will focus on one task at a time. For example, I may need to write a presentation for an event: Great, let's focus on that.

However, I'll also need to be thinking about the wider piece and how my presentation will fit in with the launch of my product by our Product Marketing and Marketing teams.

Just like StreetView, only focussing on one thing can mean that you risk missing out on the rest of the piece. If you needed to get to a pub, you'd most likely need to know the route from the Tube Station. StreetView isn't great for that as you'd waste a lot of time clicking the button to moving along the street (and you may get lost).

One simple click to zoom out to a regular map means you can get your 5 minute walking route much more easily.


The Bigger Picture
This can carry on up the scale for a Product Manager. Presentation to Product Launch to Roadmap to Company Strategy and so on. The same thing is true of Google Maps. Keep zooming out to City, County, Country, Continent, World and possibly even further!

Product Managers need to balance the small everyday tasks with their wider aims for both their products and their business. This is the number one challenge for many people in the role and by thinking about scale you can ensure that you have the right information for the task at hand and don't get lost (heaven forbid getting lost on the way to the Pub).

So next time you're working on some commercial requirements or customer analysis, remember that this StreetView is part of your wider global map. Using scale, you can get from one Country to another as well as from the bus stop to the pub.