Softball and Software
I've coached girls softball for years, taking one team to the national championships. It's interesting to look at the ways that coaching a softball team is similar (or not) to product management…
- In softball, mastering the fundamental skills is the foundation for success. Without this, no amount of strategy or motivation will lead to success. One weak player can lead to many losses.
- In product development, there are specific skills that are absolutely necessary, such as mastery of development tools, design capabilities, and architectural vision. One missing skill can sink a project.
- A softball team must be motivated to succeed. Goals, both for both the team and individuals, can help a team continuously improve its performance. These goals can be about both competition (beating a team or winning a championship) and personal performance (improving batting or fielding results).
- A development team can usually produce something even if they're minimally motivated, but it takes real passion to achieve greatness. Like softball players, developers need goals that they passionately care about. A PM can foster this by ensuring that the team really cares about the customer, and challenging them to produce terrific products that they can be proud of. (Rewards and bonuses can be helpful, but they rarely inspire greatness.)
- Fun is essential. Girls play best when they learn how much fun it is to play well, and when they experience the joy of success (both personal and team). It also helps a lot if they like and care about each other, something that often develops during the course of a season.
- Software developers usually perform more successfully when they enjoy their work, and when they like working with each other. Management (including product management) can create the conditions under which a creative, enthusiastic workplace culture can thrive - the sort of place that people look forward to coming to every day. In this kind of work environment, cooperative relationships are more likely to develop, and people are more likely to support each others' efforts. As in softball, an enthusiastic workplace is built on a combination of positive attitude, creative/challenging jobs, clear feedback when success is achieved, and a healthy dose of fun thrown in from time to time.
- Softball has very clear rules that everyone must learn and follow.
- Software development teams often find ways to rewrite the rules to their advantage: They're not in a rule book, there are no umpires, and the rules change constantly.
- In softball, winning isn't everything (contrary to the opinion of many players' parents). Learning and improving is what it's about. A coach can encourage players to take risks that might or might not result in immediate success - it's the effort that counts.
- In the technology world, winning is everything. You don't start a project in order to lose. Nevertheless, it's crucial to take risks, try new things, and sometimes fail - as long as you learn from failure. "Wins" are often based on the lessons of previous efforts that didn't succeed.
- A softball coach is responsible for planning and implementing game strategy.
- A Product Manager may define product strategy, but the PM is both a leader and a player. Developing a strategy within an overall business strategy is a collaborative effort, requiring input and buy-in from execs, Marketing, Sales, Engineering, QA , and others.
Softball and product development are both team sports - that's why they both succeed when leadership, collaboration, skills and goals are well-developed and in-synch. When that happens, both softball and software are a heck of a lot fun.
- In softball, mastering the fundamental skills is the foundation for success. Without this, no amount of strategy or motivation will lead to success. One weak player can lead to many losses.
- In product development, there are specific skills that are absolutely necessary, such as mastery of development tools, design capabilities, and architectural vision. One missing skill can sink a project.
- A softball team must be motivated to succeed. Goals, both for both the team and individuals, can help a team continuously improve its performance. These goals can be about both competition (beating a team or winning a championship) and personal performance (improving batting or fielding results).
- A development team can usually produce something even if they're minimally motivated, but it takes real passion to achieve greatness. Like softball players, developers need goals that they passionately care about. A PM can foster this by ensuring that the team really cares about the customer, and challenging them to produce terrific products that they can be proud of. (Rewards and bonuses can be helpful, but they rarely inspire greatness.)
- Fun is essential. Girls play best when they learn how much fun it is to play well, and when they experience the joy of success (both personal and team). It also helps a lot if they like and care about each other, something that often develops during the course of a season.
- Software developers usually perform more successfully when they enjoy their work, and when they like working with each other. Management (including product management) can create the conditions under which a creative, enthusiastic workplace culture can thrive - the sort of place that people look forward to coming to every day. In this kind of work environment, cooperative relationships are more likely to develop, and people are more likely to support each others' efforts. As in softball, an enthusiastic workplace is built on a combination of positive attitude, creative/challenging jobs, clear feedback when success is achieved, and a healthy dose of fun thrown in from time to time.
- Softball has very clear rules that everyone must learn and follow.
- Software development teams often find ways to rewrite the rules to their advantage: They're not in a rule book, there are no umpires, and the rules change constantly.
- In softball, winning isn't everything (contrary to the opinion of many players' parents). Learning and improving is what it's about. A coach can encourage players to take risks that might or might not result in immediate success - it's the effort that counts.
- In the technology world, winning is everything. You don't start a project in order to lose. Nevertheless, it's crucial to take risks, try new things, and sometimes fail - as long as you learn from failure. "Wins" are often based on the lessons of previous efforts that didn't succeed.
- A softball coach is responsible for planning and implementing game strategy.
- A Product Manager may define product strategy, but the PM is both a leader and a player. Developing a strategy within an overall business strategy is a collaborative effort, requiring input and buy-in from execs, Marketing, Sales, Engineering, QA , and others.
Softball and product development are both team sports - that's why they both succeed when leadership, collaboration, skills and goals are well-developed and in-synch. When that happens, both softball and software are a heck of a lot fun.