What does a Product Manager do? Lessons from a Rotational PM Program
When you think of product management, images of big tech companies like Google and Meta likely come to mind. These are places where rotational PM programs are the gold standard, providing budding product managers with a solid foundation to build on. But here’s the thing: product work is happening everywhere, often in surprising places. My journey as a rotational Product Manager began at American Express (Amex). It might not be the first name that pops into your head when you think of product management, but with 141 million cards in circulation across 58 countries, Amex relies heavily on strong product management to sustain and grow its digital business. Over the three rotations I completed, my understanding of Product Management was constantly challenged and my definition of it completely transformed. Here’s what I learned.
Where I started — The classic Venn Diagram
Product management is often boiled down to a Venn diagram where design, business, and technology overlap. At first, I envisioned myself sitting right in the middle, juggling all these aspects equally. But in reality, that balance is never even, and you often find yourself over-indexing on one or two of those circles.
The venn diagram on the left represents the balance in my first rotation, I was knee-deep in the research trenches, creating interview guides, developing journey maps and wireframes for design handover.
The one on the right is my second rotation, I found myself working with a capable design team that took the reins from me allowing me to focus on the other two circles more deeply.
The Difference: They both had design teams, but the first was an agency with very specific deliverables, while the other was in-house with greater organizational mandate and authority to run the design process.
Organisational structures and resourcing priorities can majorly affect how your work happens. In one team you would have a great dashboard for all your metrics while in the other one you’ll be left manually analysing CSV files, collating them, & extracting insights.
The job of the Product Manager is to try to maintain that balance and if that means leaning heavily onto one side then that’s what the job becomes.
Being exposed to different facets of product management in unequal measure, forces you to figure out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. More importantly it allows you to lean into your core strength (which is Service Design for me), and find teams that need that kind of expertise the most.
An effective Product Manager is jack of all trades and master of one (not none)
Moving to a Skill-Based Definition: A new Venn Diagram
We observed that the traditional design-business-tech model doesn’t accurately represent the reality in most organisations. Another significant issue with this model is that it obscures the true nature of a Product Manager’s work more than it reveals. The term “business” is particularly abstract, encompassing every possible activity an organization requires, from finance and marketing to legal and operations. This abstraction led to a bout of imposter syndrome, where I couldn’t help but wonder:
“As a PM, I’m not actually creating the product. I’m not coding, designing, or marketing. So what am I really doing?”
My imaginary friend chimes in, “You make decisions, right?”
“Well, if I got to make all the decisions, I’d light the product on fire and start from scratch,” I say.
“So what’s stopping you?”
“Legal and operations,” I sighed.
“Convince them,” says my friend.
“Hmm… I guess if I get the right people on the call, show them why our user behavior tells us to do this, give them a cost-benefit analysis, and also work with engineering to ensure our data transfer is encrypted, I can possibly convince them.”
“So that’s what you do?” the friend exclaimed
“What?”
“Everything that goes into convincing people and making the right decisions,” said the friend.
“Convincing sounds manipulative; it’s more about communication, making sure we collaborate across teams to define and solve the most valuable problems.”
“So, communication,” my friend concluded.
“I guess.”
Matt LeMay, who wrote Product Management in Practice, includes communication in his definition of product management, along with organisation and execution (more on the other two skills here).
The reason I find this framework much better is because it moves away from PMs needing to be subject matter experts (in design, tech, or business) into functional skills that are needed for PMs to succeed in their work.
The process of communicating, organising, and executing can often feel slow, especially in large organisations where you’re eager to move quickly and deliver. However, each time you build a case and present it to stakeholders, you strengthen your ability to articulate your team’s vision and agree on common goals. These skills are invaluable for an early-stage PM, and the systems you develop at this point will support you tremendously as you move up the ladder and need to make business-critical decisions.
In Service of What Matters: The Last Venn Diagram
The trio by Matt LeMay is definitely more suitable than the first Venn diagram. However, it hides a key issue — it’s too generalized. The skills described in the model could easily apply to a project manager, program manager, or even a shop floor supervisor.
How do we then define a PM without misrepresenting or diluting its importance?
That’s when it struck me: it’s the word “product”. We use it a lot. I’ve used it 34 times in this article, and it’s the key differentiator between the work we do and other professions with “manager” in their title partake.
Simply put, a product is something that is crafted by a team of professionals with the aim to impact the lives of those using it.
All the goals the product aims to achieve are the product manager’s goals, and everything that needs to be done to achieve them is the PM’s responsibility.
Thus, a new definition based on the goals of a product manager is in order. Luckily, Lenny Rachitsky, author of Lenny’s Newsletter, already has a model for what I’m describing.
- Sync: Align visions across stakeholders and keep everyone moving in the same direction.
- Ship: Deliver products that meet user needs and business goals.
- Shape: Continuously refine and improve your product, drawing from user feedback and data.
When viewed this way, it becomes clear that this process must happen constantly, not just in one product phase or with one set of stakeholders. It’s required across teams, throughout the course of your daily work.
One of the goals I set for myself through the rotation program was to be able to do this regardless of the product team I was assigned to, to thrive in any product environment, and to drive impact.
It’s a lofty goal, especially in an industry that’s increasingly moving toward specialization (like growth PM, data PM). But the reality of being a PM in a rotation program is that you’re often a generalist. The speed of onboarding often defines how much value you can contribute before heading off to another team. Hence, honing in on the core sync, shape, ship loop is crucial before diving head-first into becoming a domain expert.
Summing up
The ambition to excel in all settings was a major driving force throughout the program. However, I’ve realised that this goal isn’t sustainable. Working on a product you don’t relate to or within a team with low product maturity can be frustrating, regardless of personal drive. Fortunately, the variety of experiences in the rotational program provided me with valuable insights into what aligns with my interests and goals. I now have a clear understanding of the types of products I enjoy working with and the impact I aspire to make in my career.
My time as a rotational Product Manager at American Express has been one of the most valuable experiences of my career. These programs offer a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and discover your true passions within the expansive field of product management. As I continue to refine my understanding of product management, I look forward to sharing new insights and perhaps introducing another Venn diagram soon.
Cheers