The Three Essential Abilities for B2B Product Managers

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ZenTao is a powerful collaborative process management software designed for B2B organizations, encompassing the entire R&D lifecycle. With its complex business logic, proficiency in fundamental skills such as requirement sorting, daily communication, prototype drawing, and data analysis is a prerequisite. However, in addition to these foundational skills, B2B Product Managers are expected to excel in the areas of abstraction, disassembly, and architecture. This article aims to shed light on the specific requirements associated with these three critical abilities.

In the realm of B2B product management, a high level of abstraction is imperative. This skill involves the ability to distill intricate concepts and ideas into concise, easily comprehensible forms. By extracting essential elements, product managers can effectively communicate the product vision to cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and developers, ensuring a shared understanding and alignment.

Another vital skill for B2B Product Managers is disassembly. This proficiency entails breaking down complex problems or projects into smaller, manageable components. By dissecting intricate systems into modular parts, product managers can efficiently allocate resources, track progress, and identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement. The skill of disassembly facilitates meticulous project planning, effective resource allocation, and risk mitigation, ultimately enhancing overall project efficiency.

Lastly, architecture skills play a pivotal role in the success of B2B Product Managers. This ability encompasses designing and implementing a cohesive and scalable product structure. A well-designed product architecture not only ensures seamless functionality but also accommodates future enhancements and adaptability. Product managers must possess a deep understanding of technological frameworks, system integration, and industry best practices to create a robust foundation for long-term product growth.

To excel as a B2B Product Manager, it is essential to master not only the fundamental skills but also the critical abilities of abstraction, disassembly, and architecture. These skills facilitate effective communication, efficient project management, and the creation of scalable and adaptable products. By acquiring and honing these abilities, B2B Product Managers can navigate the complexities of the R&D lifecycle, driving the success of their organizations in the dynamic B2B market.

I. Abstraction Ability

The first essential ability is abstraction, which includes conceptual abstraction, role abstraction, and process abstraction.

1. Abstraction of Concepts

Let's begin by exploring conceptual abstraction. Concepts are concise definitions of specific entities. For example, when a group of individuals collaborates, they need to define each person's assigned tasks, which can be referred to as "tasks." When a group of people collectively completes a task within a specific timeframe, the overall process can be defined as a "project." The tasks to be accomplished within the project are categorized as "requirements." When these requirements are completed in phases, the process is referred to as "iteration." All the requirements combined form the final deliverable, which can be called the "product." Planning when to complete which tasks is known as "scheduling." Moreover, related products and projects require a higher-level outline and management, which can be referred to as a "collection of items."

Image Source: ZenTao

These are a few of the concepts within the ZenTao project management software, which encompasses over 100 concepts. While many concepts are industry-standard and widely used, there are also specific concepts that require individual abstraction. For instance, within ZenTao, various project management methods such as Agile, Waterfall, or Kanban are defined as "project models." Under the Agile model, iterations are utilized for project management, while the Waterfall model employs phases, and Kanban uses boards for organizing and managing projects. To unify iterations, phases, and boards, a generic concept named "Execution" is abstracted.

Our meticulous conceptual subdivision sets us apart from the competition. While competitors may utilize a general "Issue" framework, our approach allows for more detailed and precise expressions.

2. Abstraction of Roles

The next step involves abstracting and defining roles. Each concept can correspond to specific objects, and it is necessary to classify the individuals interacting with these objects into distinct roles. In ZenTao, roles include project managers, product managers, developers, testers, process improvement personnel, release managers, company management, system administrators, and other positions. Each role carries its own responsibilities and authority, which are defined within the system. Even when writing user stories, roles need to be considered.

Image Source: ZenTao

Having established concepts and roles, the subsequent phase is to abstract the various operations performed by different roles on the concepts during different stages. These operations affect the state and properties of the corresponding objects. New state properties can trigger new operations, and these operations, in turn, modify the properties and state of the objects. This collaborative mechanism is referred to as "process".

3. Abstraction of processes

For a generic product, the process definition needs to be versatile and adaptable. Customization projects can be implemented based on specific customer requirements. However, for a product like ZenTao, it must consider different industries, company sizes, and management styles to achieve the best possible fit while maintaining flexibility. This presents a significant challenge that tests the team's abstraction and creativity. For instance, ZenTao incorporates built-in features such as multi-person serial tasks, multi-person parallel tasks, twin requirements, and multi-platform and multi-branch products, addressing diverse customer scenarios.

Within the ZenTao team, I explicitly discourage members from seeking inspiration from competing products when encountering challenges. Firstly, relying on competing products prevents us from developing our independent product system. Secondly, the problems we encounter often lie in uncharted territory, without any existing competing products to reference. As a result, the ZenTao team continuously enhances the product to various extents, fostering its vitality. Conversely, many of our competitors rely on imitation and replication, and once their product matures, their team loses momentum and direction.

The above discussions outline the abstraction of concepts, roles, and processes, forming the prototype of the product. The next step involves the ability to partition the product into modules, requirements, and scheduling.

II. Disassembly Ability

1. Split Modules

Firstly, let's discuss modules. Module division refers to the process of categorizing product functionality into distinct sections. For instance, ZenTao consists of modules such as user management and project management. Under the project management module, there are further divisions for task management and version control. Modules can be seen as a way to organize the structural space of a product. When developing a new product, it is crucial to establish and maintain the module structure as the foundational framework. Subsequent product updates and iterations also require dynamic maintenance of the module division. Based on our practical experience, it is advisable to have two to three levels of module division, creating a hierarchical structure. This approach provides a macroscopic view and facilitates demand splitting and scheduling operations. In contrast, many of our competitors lack module functionality, resulting in the accumulation of requirements without a structured approach.

The ability to effectively partition a product into a logically defined modular structure is the first test of disassembly ability.

2. Split User Stories

Image Source: ZenTao

Once the modules are established, the next step is to split user stories based on their significance within the modules. This process examines your capability to express the function, logic, and interaction of a software system clearly through user stories. In a previous article, I discussed the challenging transformation that agile product managers face. One of the difficulties arises because many product managers are accustomed to writing requirement documents and creating prototype diagrams, rather than utilizing user stories for splitting.

From our practical experience, the most challenging aspect of user story splitting is conducting a thorough analysis and writing clear and concise stories. Some product colleagues tend to include multiple related points within a single user story, resulting in a lack of singularity. This makes it more difficult to comprehend the requirements or estimate the size of the user story. Defining a clear headline, organizing the description, and specifying acceptance criteria in concise language also present challenges for many colleagues.

3. Split project schedule

After splitting the user stories, the subsequent step involves planning the iteration requirements. Module division focuses on the structural organization of the product, while iteration planning deals with time allocation. Resources are inherently limited, customer needs are boundless, and the pressure from superiors and customers is ever-present. Scheduling the requirements to satisfy all stakeholders can be demanding. Successful iteration planning requires a macro-level, long-term goal and skillful balancing of inputs and outputs. Therefore, another test for product managers is the ability to resist the impulse of pursuing a flawless product and maintain composure and restraint.

Upon completing the module division, requirement splitting, and scheduling, the next phase is to integrate these functional modules into a cohesive product. This entails considering the product architecture on a broader level. The preceding processes of abstraction and splitting serve as the composition and foundation of architectural work, analogous to laying the groundwork. Once the foundation is set, the subsequent task is to construct the building. The quality of the final product heavily relies on the architectural prowess. In my assessment, key considerations include a well-structured navigation system, a coherent UI design, and an intuitive interaction system.

III. Architecture Ability

Image Source: ZenTao

1. Well-Structured Navigation System

The first aspect is the navigation structure. After abstracting concepts, roles, and processes, followed by module division and requirement splitting, the product's architecture begins to take shape. The subsequent focus lies in developing an effective human-computer interaction system. When a product manager can clearly articulate the navigation structure of a product or module, it indicates a thorough understanding of the product. While generating ideas and making plans may be relatively easy, executing them can present challenges. Thus, assessing a product manager's mastery of the product or module often involves evaluating their navigation structure. The navigation structure holds utmost significance in human-computer interaction, and once it is established, the product's foundation is laid.

2. Coherent UI and Interaction System

Once the navigation structure is determined, attention turns to designing the UI and interaction system. Many teams have dedicated designers responsible for UI and interaction, separating these tasks from product managers. However, I believe product managers should still prioritize the UI and interaction system. As they possess a deep understanding of the business logic, the UI and interaction system should align with and serve the business objectives. A well-crafted UI and interaction system exhibit restraint. In this regard, WeChat has excelled, demonstrating Mr. Zhang Xiaolong's exceptional expertise in this field.

The navigation structure, UI system, and interaction system serve as external manifestations of a product manager's architectural ability, extending from the previously mentioned abilities of abstraction and disassembly. A product manager who excels in these three areas is a valuable asset for B2B product management.

The aforementioned insights reflect my own observations and summaries from years of experience with products and teams. I welcome discussions and exchanges of ideas from all of you.