There are always some videos which stick with you due to the strong association with a concept. “The Pentagon Wars” is one such comedy movie produced by HBO in 1998 and I always remember it when I am thinking about Product Management.

The 11-minute clip from the movie very effectively shows how weak product managers let everyone around him push their agenda, allow changes to the product on the whims and fancies of users (most of the time they want the manual processes to be replicated and want to be consulted before making even a small change), dinosaurs (people who live in nostalgia of building products 20-30 years ago and bully everyone on the team) and many more.

An effective Product Manager will focus on the true need based on research and will have the courage to say “NO” to feature requests which are not aligned to product’s vision. He will also listen to smart people on his team – Architects, Designers, Engineers and Testers rather than just telling them to carry out the orders by accommodating the requests of the executives.

The film depicts the development of the Bradley fighting vehicle.

The movie shows that Bradley started with a simple goal – to be a troop carrier however it turned into something that was far from its original goal.

Think of Col Smith as the Product Manager as he was in charge of the development of the Bradley! Enjoy watching. Would love to learn about your product management experiences!