In Season 3 of Productside Tales, we sat down with Man Gershoni, Head of Engineering at genesIT, for a candid dialog on what it actually takes to construct nice merchandise in immediately’s advanced tech environments. With over 20 years in engineering and a profession formed by deep partnerships with product leaders, Man introduced a clear-eyed perspective to the desk—one which’s grounded in pragmatism, experimentation, and mutual respect.
Why Product and Engineering Collaboration Nonetheless Fails
Too typically, the connection between product and engineering feels extra like a standoff than a partnership. Product managers push for roadmaps. Engineers push again with technical constraints. Someplace within the center, buyer wants get misplaced in translation.
Man doesn’t sugarcoat this dynamic. In actual fact, he says the basis drawback isn’t an absence of need to collaborate—it’s a mismatch of incentives, language, and expectations.
“There’s this false impression that engineers simply need to construct cool stuff and don’t care about what they construct. However that’s not true. Engineers are extra excited once they know what they’re constructing issues.”
What engineers need, he explains, is readability. Clear targets. Clear suggestions loops. And a transparent connection between their work and the enterprise end result it helps.
Product managers who perceive this—and who present up ready to share information, context, and measurable outcomes—earn credibility. And with that credibility, comes collaboration. Efficient product and engineeering collaboration depends upon that readability, and on either side displaying up able to study from one another.
The PM Position: Strategic, Not Administrative
In one of the eye-opening moments of the episode, Man shares how an inside platform group as soon as assumed they didn’t want product administration. They thought their work spoke for itself—till a listening tour revealed how disconnected they had been from their prospects.
“They thought different groups appreciated them. However the second we had direct conversations, we discovered lots of frustration. That hole wanted a full-time product supervisor to bridge it.”
That is the place Man pushes again towards the concept engineering can—or ought to—change product administration. Sure, engineers are deeply expert. However PMs carry one thing totally different: programs considering, long-term imaginative and prescient, and the power to synthesize inputs from throughout the enterprise.
In Man’s phrases, “It’s a full-time job to grasp what attractiveness like—and to assist the group see it too.”
When product and engineering collaboration is robust, these roles don’t compete however amplify one another.
The Energy of Affect Over Authority
One other fantasy Man breaks down is the concept product managers want positional energy to guide successfully. In actuality, the most effective PMs lead with affect, not title.
“When you stroll in and attempt to boss individuals round with out having authority, it gained’t work. However should you can inform a compelling story and get engineers excited, that’s the way you lead.”
It’s this mix of storytelling, context-sharing, and empathy that separates tactical PMs from strategic ones. And as Man factors out, it’s precisely what fashionable groups want—particularly as they navigate trade-offs, useful resource constraints, and fixed change.
Constructing a Tradition of Experimentation
On the subject of constructing the proper issues—not simply constructing issues proper—Man is a large advocate for experimentation. However don’t anticipate a inflexible framework.
As an alternative, he leans right into a mindset: begin small, outline the impression you need to see, and be keen to kill your darlings.
“We used a framework known as KID—Preserve, Iterate, Delete. If it didn’t transfer the needle on the result, we let it go.”
This method isn’t restricted to product options. Man applies it to group construction, workflows, and even office insurance policies. The secret is staying goal and being keen to disprove your individual hypotheses.
As he places it, “We all know that we don’t know. That’s why we take a look at.”
Recommendation for Engineers (and PMs)
One of the highly effective takeaways from the episode is Man’s recommendation for engineers who’re struggling to work with product:
“When you’ve mastered find out how to construct it proper, you must discover ways to construct the proper factor.”
This shift requires humility. It means getting into the shopper’s sneakers, studying the enterprise context, and seeing product as a associate—not a blocker.
And for PMs? Man’s recommendation is straightforward however sharp: present up ready, communicate your group’s language, and at all times, at all times tie your work to outcomes.
Product and Engineering Collaboration Is a Talent, Not a Given
The very best product groups aren’t simply transport quick—they’re aligned. From shared metrics to outcome-driven experimentation, actual innovation begins with higher collaboration.
If this submit hit near residence, right here’s the place to go subsequent:
Are your groups constructing collectively or constructing in silos? What’s your take? Be part of the dialog and share your ideas with us on LinkedIn.
