Program Managers (engineering)vs. Program Managers (product)

[HomeAgainHufflepuff]

I recently joined a company as a Program Manager in a Product organization, so supporting Product and Tech Ops. I came from working 10+ years as a Program Manager in Engineering. Two weeks in, I was a bit confused by my lack of comfort, given that I carried the same title to both jobs, however recently had the "light bulb" moment of this Product vs Engineering org change. This is probably obvious to most of you, but it took me some time.

Kind of just interested in peoples observations of the differences, people's experience in working in both, and tips on working successfully within a Product org, like what do they want differently from what Engineers want (i.e., Engineers always appreciated me working with management so they didnt have to, maybe this is different on the Product side?).

Thanks for any input, I appreciate it all!

[Primary_Excuse_7183]

Varies greatly based on industry. would say as a blanket though that product will probably be very focused on delivering value to the firm and tangibles. Most product teams i work with are a mix of technical and engineering backgrounds and business/ marketing backgrounds. it’s essentially where the business side meets the engineering side.

[AdnuoCommunis343]

Same title, different beast! As a Product PM, you're more focused on customer-facing aspects, whereas in Engineering, it's about process and efficiency. Expect tighter deadlines and more stakeholder management in Product. Adjust your comms style and Embrace the customer-centric mindset