Do PMs need technical or engineering background?

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My first lesson as a PM came from this conversation:

Me: “How important is for me to be technical and understand the engineering behind our product?”

Her (lead PM): “I don’t understand the details of tech. I’m not an engineer. All I do is apply common sense, and trust those around won’t fool or trick me.”

Applying common sense is truly your super power as a PM. It’s a combination of:

1. thinking through the dynamics of a decision

2. asking the right questions

3. equipping everyone with the 360 insights of your role.

4. guaranteeing the most qualified person gets to make the call

Statistically, the outcome tends to be the best.

And it’s thanks to 👆that I am 100% sure you don’t need to be an engineer to be a PM. You just need to be good at applying common sense.