Since 2010, I’ve been practicing product management as a product manager, a leader of PMs, and a VP of Product. Previously, I worked as a developer for seven years. One could say I’ve had a very intimate view of the creation and evolution of the PM role, particularly in Israel.  

Product management initially evolved from various roles, including project managers and system analysts. In fact, for many years, product management positions were part of the engineering organization. Over time, the role evolved beyond an engineering execution role to the business side.

Generally speaking, many organizations divide their product management practice into two types of PMs: Inbound and Outbound. Inbound PMs were responsible for the technical execution, with titles such as Technical PM, Product Owner, Program Manager, etc. In contrast, outbound PMs spent most of their time with sales teams, customers, support, etc. Many companies also adopted hybrid models, such as the Full-Stack Product model, which designates the responsibility of a particular part of a product to a PM but with a more balanced investment of inbound and outbound work.  

The approach we’ve adopted at Torq, which is becoming more commonplace industry-wide, leans heavily towards the outbound approach. Most product management resources are invested in the strategic challenges of building a company and its product, leaving the engineering execution to software engineers. The approach one chooses impacts how to build both product and engineering teams and, more or less, the entire company. In my session, I will demonstrate the essence of this approach, what I call “Strategic Product Management”, and explain how it enabled Torq to quickly reach product-market-fit.