We understandably experience a lot of confusion about engineering management titles and roles. Many responsibilities bleed over between roles, and projects of different size and scope have varying needs. The titles and definitions are decidedly imprecise. We’ll try to shed a little light on the topic here.
The most improper job of any man ... is bossing other men. Not one in a million is fit for it, and least of all those who seek the opportunity. - J.R.R. Tolkien
Product, Project, and Program Management might be called the “Three Ps of Engineering Management”. There are other divisions of management, but because these three all start with P, sound alike, are widely used, and often have scope in common, they are the source of much confusion.
It might be helpful to think of taking a long road trip. One possible way to divide up the responsibilities is as follows. The Program Manager arranges the purchase of a van, identifies maintenance needs, hires mechanics, and is responsible for accommodations. The Product Manager is the trip planner and navigator, ensuring everyone is happy with the stops and sightseeing. The Project Manager drives the van and tracks the time and budget, keeping everything moving. For a small enough project, all three roles are the same person.
There is a “Fourth P”, discussed separately because it is not nearly as common in electrical or software engineering: Process Manager. In our road trip analogy, he might be involved with seating, luggage, snacks, and documentation: keeping a detailed diary of both the planning and execution, and filing a trip report.
Let’s set aside the analogy, dive in deeper, and add some of the other engineering team roles to the discussion as well.
Engineering Director
A very experienced person serving as an extension of the Engineering VP or CTO to assist with team and resource management, company direction, and technical leadership. May oversee more than one engineering discipline, and perhaps all of them. Usually a key part of the company leadership team.
Engineering Manager
This tends to be more especially a team management role than a product or project management role. Lead for a group of engineers primarily within one or two related disciplines, focused on the team and organization, but may also define the implementation and the way the features are built. Works with product experts to identify technical needs. Responsible for hiring, training, performance reviews, coaching through career development, and helping the team grow. Likely to also serve in one of the Three P manager roles for small efforts.
Product Manager
Tasked with creating the product roadmap in somewhat of a linear business development role, and works closely with the marketing team and company leadership. May interface directly with customers as well, and sees the technology from a market strategy perspective. Might be heavily involved in tracking development to requirements to ensure the right product is built. Successful if the team delivers the right features, pleases customers, raises the profile of the brand, and opens new markets.
Product Development Manager
This is virtually the same concept as the Product Manager, but places emphasis more on the development process and quality control than on future market trends. For larger teams, may not actually be developing the product, but performing a manager role in close coordination with a development team. May also support the team with project engineering or project management tasks.
Program Manager
This less strictly defined term is sometimes a sort of catch-all for a role that doesn’t quite fit the description of a Project or Product Manager. For a small team it might be someone performing a combination of those two roles. May be more of a strategic system architecture position than Product or Project Managers with a sometimes wider scope and more lateral view. Oversees the engineering on one or multiple related projects and possibly across disciplines. Often organizations define a Program as larger in scope than a Product, as it might cover multiple types of systems, across multiple disciplines, developed over multiple generations. May include team management responsibilities. Works with multiple product teams to create designs, coordinates with suppliers, ensures a consistent quality program functions.
Project Manager
Tasked with ensuring the execution of the project, making sure milestones are met along the way, breaking down chunky goals into smaller tasks, and sometimes coordinating with customers. Not necessarily a strategic role, but often helps manage the finances. Not a full-time role for small projects. Often a role that can be more easily filled by a non-technical person than the other management roles in engineering. Successful if the project comes in on time and within the budget.
Project Engineer
This is mainly a technical role, involving some work similar to that of Project Manager, but with more focus on architecture and technical details. Coordinates activities of various engineering disciplines and teams over multiple phases of the project like design, development, test, integration, manufacture, deployment, support, etc. Helps the Project Manager drive integration phases to completion with technical know-how.
Process Manager
For manufacturing this could be a full-time technical role. Outside of manufacturing, this is usually only a part-time role for small/medium companies, especially if focused on one department like the software process or other business processes. Often a responsibility assumed by a systems engineering or program manager. Critical during implementation of a new process, when certifications are sought, or right after mergers and acquisitions. Successful if the team buys into the process and quality metrics, and certification or efficiency or production goals are met.
Technical Product/Program/Project Manager
The “Technical” qualifier usually describes a person, rather than a role. In other words, this designation may not change the duties of the role much. It specifies a person owning management responsibilities who has a technical background and works on a technology product.
Other
Engineers often work closely with Marketing Managers or Business Development Managers, but we won’t cover those roles in detail.
There is no pressure to use all of these titles all of the time, you may not need to. Just because you don’t have people officially labeled with each one doesn’t mean you are missing something. The one you call your Engineering Manager is often also your Product Manager or Project Manager. Your needs will grow as your team grows. But, consider each of these first and foremost as a role, rather than a title. They often happen to be very small, part-time roles which should be filled, even if position titles aren’t.
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