In our 2013 Study of Product Team Performance we wanted to know which executives product teams work most closely with.
Survey respondents indicate the following roles are most prevalent. The following list is in the order of percentage response (from highest to lowest).
- Chief Executive Officer or General Manager (23%)
- Head of Product Management (19%)
- Chief Technology Officer (19%)
- Head of Sales (14%)
- Chief Marketing Officer (14%)
- Chief Financial Officer (7%)
It’s clear that roles centered on product management have much influence on the executive team. When asked to choose the one role that has the most influence on their company’s executive team, nearly a third (31%) chose the product manager. The product owner came in second place with 22% of respondents.
All other role choices received less than 10% of responses!
Greg Geracie is a recognized thought leader in the field of product management and the President of Actuation Consulting, a global provider of product management consulting, training, and advisory services to some of the world’s most well-known organizations. Greg is also the author of the global best seller Take Charge Product Management. He is also an adjunct professor at DePaul University’s College of Computing and Digital Media where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on high-tech and digital product management.