Q. What is TPM? What do you do and what is the difference between it and PM?

A. Usually, there are three types of PM: Project Manager, Product Manager, and Program Manager. It will be easier to understand if you summarize the differences.

• Project: A bundle of work performed to achieve a certain goal within a certain period of time. So, a Project Manager is a person who manages this project and leads the project to success by subdividing tasks and managing schedules to achieve the goal.

• Product: In the IT industry, a product refers to a product or service. As the user's spokesperson, the Product Manager looks at the product from a long-term perspective, including product vision, consistency, and 10x impact strategy, as well as the success of short-term projects, provides direction, and leads the work.

• Program: a set of related measures or activities with a particular long-term aim. As organizations grow and teams become more fragmented, there are many cases where multiple teams, multiple products, and multiple stakeholders must collaborate organically to create a larger impact at the enterprise level. In these cases, the Program Manager has the ability to understand the overall big picture and plays the role of being the center of communication.

The reason why it is called TPM instead of simply Program Manager is because tech companies have taught us that Program Managers cannot fulfill their role without a technical background. You need to play a central role in identifying and organizing various interests and creating a big impact through communication, but if you don't know tech, it will only add to your burden. One of the roles of TPM is to reduce meetings, but a TPM that does not know technology will inevitably disturb and harass busy people even more.

This is why there are only a few good TPMs in Korea. If you choose well, it's really great because it reduces everyone's work. However, if you pick it wrong, everyone is in trouble... For example, when CTOs I know change jobs, they do not move alone, but as a set with proven TPM people.