Growing a product management team successfully: expert tips (and pitfalls to avoid)

Your PMs end up being an extension of the sales team or the engineering team rather than a cross-functional leader focused on moving the product forward. This isn't to say that PM teams shouldn't stay close to sales and engineering, or that those kinds of "rapid response" or project management functions are unimportant to their role, but it is to say that too much of that reactionary work can lead to the team, the product, and ultimately the company falling behind their competition.

If I were to offer someone a senior PM role, but they're not as great at experimentation as an existing Senior Product Manager, my team will think ‘how on earth could you call them a senior? They don't even know how to do multivariate tests!’ It’s really difficult for the hiring manager to explain to their team. Somebody can be a similar level of seniority with a completely different skill set and a completely different qualification or profile than you.

Aligning a growing team to one vision can be tricky. With the core team you know what you want, you know what you have tested, and you know where you want to go. With new hires, the lines can be often transgressed, and you may find yourself testing old versions just to satisfy a new team.

Have a single KPI or a set of KPIs for the entire product team that they can work on. For example, the customer lifetime value or the churn rate. Once everyone is on the same page and working together on a common goal, they will be more motivated to get things done. No matter if you have 3 or 13 people, they’ll all work towards the same goal.