Q: When and how should I introduce a TPM role in my engineering organization?

The fastest-growing tech companies rely on the TPM role to scale up their engineering organization’s efficiency. The previous issue, What TPMs do and what software engineers can learn from them covered the 'what' of the role. In this edition, we dive into 'how' engineering leaders can utilize a role like the TPM as the engineering organization grows, and how those moving into the TPM role can thrive in this position.

In this article, we cover:

The difference between TPMs, Project Managers and POs.
Things TPMs should be good at. Which skills help TPMs excel in this role?
TPM career paths. The TPM role is specialized; which roles do TPMs frequently transition to, later?
Platform TPMs. How is this role different from Program TPMs in product organizations?
Introducing the TPM role to an engineering organization. When is a good time and what is the optimal TPM:engineer ratio?
Hiring the first TPM. The first TPM hire is a key one; pitfalls to avoid and approaches to consider.
Designing for TPM career growth. As someone managing TPMs, how can you help them grow in their career?

The takeaways for this issue are for all engineering leaders. Even if you don’t have a TPM role in your organization, you’ll have people taking on TPM-like work which helps a growing engineering team to operate efficiently.

The Pragmatic Engineer

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