Pyramid of product manager needs PoPMan: impact, outcome and output

In my last article, I described the pyramid of product manager need. In this follow up blog post, we will have a look at the pyramid from an output and outcome point of view.

Some definitions:

• “An outcome is a change in human behaviour that drives business results” Joshua Seiden in “Outcomes over output” / Sense and response press.
• An output is “something produced”. It is the direct result of human creativity for instance a feature, a functionality, code, documentation, a learning, a design document, etc.
• Impact: as organizations become more purpose driven, their main objective is to have an impact on the Human Society, Earth, Mars or even in the world of ideas (physics, morals, ethics, etc.).

Based on these definitions, we can now map these with the pyramid of the product manager needs.

As we can see, each level of the pyramid has a unique relationship with the notions defined above.

Influence is the main tool used by a product manager. You can use the table presented above each time your receive or solicit feedback. Make sure you address the key questions of your counterpart by refering to the activities or artifacts that make sense for this person. Failing to do so will create a dialogue of deafs.

We can also use this table to help us define the product manager role:
“To mediate the company vision (desired impact by leadership), via efficient stakeholder management (resources), via team coaching & servant leadership to create a valuable and usable output producing desired outcomes for the ecosystem.”

A core value of Shopify is “Feedback is a gift” 🙏🏼

You can reach me at Benoit des Ligneris.