60: Hardware Product Management

In this episode of the How to Succeed in Product Management Podcast, marketing professor Jeff Shulman welcomes Charlton Washington, MBA (Johnson & Johnson) and Jake Wallack (Axon) to talk about hardware product management. As a PM, you might have to choose between hardware vs. software. Knowing the difference between the two fields, the process involved, and the varying customer needs will allow PMs to get familiar with the systems should they wish to transition from hardware to software and vice versa.   Disclaimer: All opinions of the speakers are their own.   Support for How to Succeed in Product Management is brought to you by Apptentive, which enables product managers to measure shifts in customer emotion and gather actionable feedback across the mobile customer journey. To learn more, go to Apptentive.com/UW.   What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 05:42 Metrics of success in hardware 08:22 Hardware vs. software 09:52 Other metrics  12:40 Meeting the needs of different consumers 16:06 Inclusivity is necessary 18:59 Product management in hardware vs. software 21:11 Hardware has longer development cycles 24:42 Hardware or software as a PM? 26:47 More long term strategy 27:40 Check your skills and experience 28:40 Single threaded leadership 31:07 Stakeholder management with hardware vs. software 33:55 Stakeholders are more directly involved in product 35:01 What can make people in hardware PM angry? 38:16 Transition from software to hardware 40:11 How to navigate hardware PM in the medical space 42:16 Resources for PM 45:40 Final thoughts