The Matteo Method: How One Product Manager Cracked the Code of Collaboration With Engineers

In my career, I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time observing, collaborating with, and then leading product teams.

Coming from a business background, I’ve always been intrigued by how hard it was for product managers to “crack the code,” earn respect from engineers and designers, and effectively work with them.

It’s not that engineers were not willing to build successful products. They all wanted to!

However, a product manager must have a particular approach and personality to enter the circle of trust with their engineering colleagues.

Enters Matteo!

Matteo is probably the most talented product manager I’ve ever worked with. He had an innate sense for discovering customer problems worth solving. Matteo knew better than anyone how to engage with the rest of the product team.

Here’s where Matteo made the difference:

Matteo was a stellar communicator

Deeply involved in customer problem discovery, Matteo knew how to sort them out and always found the right words to articulate product requirements. He did so by sharing the full business context so that engineers would understand the purpose and value of what they were building.

Matteo’s communication didn’t end there. He was always available and ready to discuss and clarify what he had learned first-hand from customers and business stakeholders.

Matteo Empowered the Engineering Team

On most occasions, Matteo would bring engineers to his discovery sessions with customers, allowing them to hear directly from the source. This was priceless in helping connect their work to real user needs.

Matteo even included engineers in ideation and creative processes. By actively involving them in the planning stages, he kept everyone on the team engaged in the development process. It encouraged engineers and designers to share their ideas and feedback early on.

Matteo Cared About Technical Details

Matteo was no engineer, and his technical understanding was basic. But, he took the time to learn about the technical aspects of our development projects, demonstrating respect for the complexity of the engineering work and facilitating communication and decision-making.

It didn’t mean Matteo was intrusive in engineering’s work. He knew how to defer to their expertise and give them ownership over implementation decisions.

Matteo Mastered Accountability and Recognition

Matteo was clear on accountability. While he drove the “what” and “why,” engineers owned the “how” and “when.” However, when it came to product success, it was about joint accountability under ONE team.

Matteo was also good at publicly recognizing and crediting engineers for their contributions to product success. This went beyond just thanking them; he gave them a forum and let them present their work and achievements to senior executives, building a culture of appreciation and motivation within the team.