One of the most common queries from people who want to work in product management is whether or not coding skills are necessary for success. Both sides of the argument have strong points, so we’ve outlined the advantages, disadvantages, and suggested courses of action in this guide so you can choose the one that would work best for you. Now let’s get going.
Although not always, it’s advised in most situations. Many Product Managers thrive with excellent business sense, market knowledge, and leadership abilities, even if technical skills are beneficial, particularly in tech-centric sectors.
Why Coding Matters in Product Management
Coding expertise is a great advantage to have when it comes to enhancing communication with technical stakeholders inside an organisation. A Product Manager who understands coding ideas can bridge the communication gap between non-technical and technical stakeholders, promoting improved cooperation and comprehension. Decision-making is improved by the ability to communicate product capabilities and limitations more precisely thanks to this common language. For instance, knowing the fundamentals of source code management can assist product managers in having productive conversations with developers about version control procedures, which will improve workflow and accelerate the creation of new products.
Advantages of Knowing How to Code
For PMs, knowing how to code may be quite helpful. It has several advantages, especially when it comes to decision-making and team communication.
- Better Communication with Developers: Project managers can have more insightful and focused discussions with developers if they have a solid understanding of coding languages and ideas. Technical requirements and product concepts are communicated more clearly as a result.
- Improved Problem-Solving Ability: Early in the development process, recognising and resolving technical issues is made easier with a foundation in coding. It enables product managers to provide workable fixes and substitutes, increasing the team’s effectiveness in solving problems.
- Informed Decision-Making: Product managers that are proficient in coding can make better educated choices on the features and order of importance of their products by taking into account the resource implications and technical viability of each option.
- Enhanced Credibility: A PM’s credibility in a technical team can be increased by having coding skills, which promotes mutual respect and easier cooperation.
Potential Drawbacks of Coding Skills
Although product managers can benefit from having coding skills, there may be negative effects if these abilities are overemphasized:
- Function confusion: Product managers may fail to distinguish between their strategic function and the technical responsibilities of the development team if they become overly involved in coding. This may cause misunderstandings about roles and reduce the manager’s and the team’s effectiveness.
- Neglect of Core Responsibilities: If a PM becomes overly fixated on coding, they may neglect their main duties, which include market research, customer relations, and overall product planning.
- Overstepping Boundaries: If coding is given too much attention, the development team’s competence and autonomy may be compromised by micromanaging them. The team may become resentful as a result of this.
- Reduced Perspective Diversity: A PM who spends too much time coding may get unduly fixated on technical fixes, maybe ignoring market trends and user experience, which are crucial for the success of the product.
- Inefficient Use of Time: Product managers who possess strong coding abilities may find it tempting to tackle coding projects on their own, but doing so can be a waste of time and draw attention away from their more general strategic responsibilities.
Ideal Coding Languages for Product Managers
After discussing the benefits and drawbacks, let’s discuss the languages that project managers should focus on learning to code.
- Python: Python is the best language for backend development, automation, AI, machine learning, and data analysis. It’s an ideal place for PMs to start because of how simple it is to learn.
- JavaScript: The foundation of web development, JavaScript is essential to working on web-based goods, improving user interfaces, and comprehending client-side functions.
- SQL: SQL is a necessary tool for database management since it enables PMs to query and analyse data, which is a crucial ability for making decisions based on facts.
- HTML and CSS: Although not technically programming languages, HTML and CSS are essential for web development and aid in the understanding of web page design and structure by PMs.
Treat these suggestions as just that—the appropriate wording will vary depending on your business, product type, and team structure. For example, Python is useful in domains that include a lot of data, yet JavaScript is essential for developing web-based products. PMs may make an informed decision about which language to learn by having a thorough understanding of the technical stack of their team and the nature of their products. Selecting a language that improves your team communication and allows you to participate in product strategy and development is crucial in this situation.