From Builder to Strategist: Rethinking Product Management

Why role clarity is the missing ingredient in today’s Product teams.

Product Management is one of the most misunderstood roles in modern organisations. Every department has different expectations, and without clear boundaries PMs often become the “invisible glue” holding everything together — without authority or alignment.

This blog explains why Product Management feels so varied and complex, where the role historically comes from, and how responsibility confusion creates friction and slows organisations down.

In this blog Koers&Koffie introduces the Product Management Continuum — a simple framework that defines three core archetypes (Builder, Integrator, Strategist) and helps teams choose the right type of Product Manager for their context.
With clarity, Product Management becomes a true driver of focus, collaboration, and business growth.

Why Product Management Is So Hard to Define

Ask ten people what Product Management is, and you’ll hear fourteen different answers.

A Product Manager is…

“a mini-CEO”
“a backlog owner”
“the customer advocate”
“the roadmap lead”
“the glue”
“the problem solver”
“the firefighter”
“the business case owner”
“the translator between tech and commercial teams”
…and the list goes on.

It’s no wonder Product Managers often feel stretched, misunderstood, or pulled in too many directions. And yet almost every modern organisation needs strong Product Management to stay competitive.

So why is Product Management so difficult to pin down?

After nearly two decades in the role, across different industries, cultures, and maturity levels, I’ve learned one thing:

There isn’t one definition of Product Management — there are many.
And the diversity is not the problem. The lack of clarity is.

Let’s unpack that.

The Reality: Product Managers Often Drown in Opinions

When I began working independently as a freelance Product Manager, one question hit me hard:

💭 What does Product Management actually mean — to me?

Because in organisations, Product Managers walk around with a job title that everyone knows…
but no one agrees on.

To Sales, PMs should help close deals.
To R&D, PMs should clarify requirements.
To Marketing, PMs should deliver the story.
To Operations, PMs should keep the roadmap realistic.
To Leadership, PMs should “be more strategic.”

Each expectation seems reasonable on its own. Together, they create responsibility chaos. This is why Product Managers often describe themselves as:

“The invisible glue of the company. Connecting everyone but belonging nowhere.”

And without boundaries, clarity, or a shared definition of success, that glue becomes fragile.

The Lonely Role of Product Management

Let’s face it: as Product Manager, you can feel lonely from time to time.

Not because they work alone, quite the opposite. Product Managers are surrounded by people. They spend their days interacting with Sales, R&D, UX, Service, Marketing, Operations, and Customers. But still… the role can feel lonely.

Why?

Because PMs are responsible for aligning everything without authority over any of the contributing teams.

They operate in the gaps:

Strategy ↔ Execution
Customer Insight ↔ Development
Business Priorities ↔ Daily Decisions

Everyone relies on Product Management. But few see the invisible work behind it:

balancing trade-offs
negotiating priorities
translating between worlds
absorbing organisational tension
providing direction without mandate

This is the emotional labour of Product Management. And too often, it’s not recognised.

The Heart of the Problem: Responsibility Confusion

Here is the simple truth:

❌ Product Management fails when expectations are unclear.
❌ Misalignment leads to friction, frustration, and slow progress.
❌ Teams push PMs into work that belongs elsewhere.
❌ Organisations hire one type of PM and expect another.

This is not an individual problem. It’s a structural one.

And the solution is not:

more tools
more processes
or more training

The solution is:

⭐ Clarity. Clear definition. Clear responsibilities. Clear expectations.

Without clarity, even the best PM cannot succeed.

The Solution: Make the Differences Visible

The Product Management discipline has evolved across decades, industries, and methodologies. It now contains multiple roles, flavours, and responsibilities — all under the same job title. But we rarely name those differences inside organisations. And because we don’t name them, misalignment grows.

That’s why I created the Product Management Continuum: a simple, strategic framework to help teams understand which type of Product Manager they need.

The Product Management Continuum

At its core, Product Management spans three distinct archetypes:

🔹The Builder — technical, hands-on, close to R&D and delivery.
🔹The Integrator — connector, balancing customer needs, business, and technology.
🔹The Strategist — business-focused, shaping portfolio direction and growth.

None of these roles is better.
Each is right — in the right context.

But confusion happens when leaders hire one type of PM and expect another.

Hire a Builder but expect portfolio strategy → frustration.
Hire a Strategist but expect sprint backlog execution → friction.
Hire an Integrator but expect pricing and business cases → misalignment.

This is exactly where PM organisations break down.

The Continuum helps teams diagnose:

where they are
where they should be
and how responsibilities should be set.

It turns “Product Management” from a vague idea into a structured, strategic discipline.

Why Clarity Changes Everything

When organisations understand where their Product Managers sit on the continuum:

✔ Expectations align
✔ Communication improves
✔ Decisions become faster
✔ Teams collaborate better
✔ Product becomes a strategic asset

This is the real goal of Product Management: to create clarity, focus, and connection across the organisation.

Or as I like to summarise it: Direction is created in connection.