Jan 19, 2022
Product Maintenance: The value of being a generalist
In the world of specialists, we need generalists to get the work done.
Specialists are focused on depth. But once the problems are solved in-depth, they need to get into the general train to reach the destination,i.e., your customer.
Product maintenance folks, like generalists, learn all 3 below.
#1: Work agnostic knowledge
Product maintenance needs ideas. You are not going to develop a full-blown clean solution, rather you need to get just enough done to meet customer needs (not their ask).
How can you do that? That’s where you need work agnostic knowledge. You question and clarify the solution, delivery and customer asks. You come with “out of the box” solutions, sometimes think like “there is no box”.
#2: Context agnostic knowledge
You need to go a little deep to challenge this.
What kind of knowledge is needed? You need to know the product as a whole, its interfaces and its usages by customer.
How a similar product will work and gather that information.
#3: Context-specific knowledge
You need to know what you’re dealing with here. The best knowledge on the subject is always unique and case-specific.
Specialists are taught to focus on point #3.
They work Like a Lion. Wait. SPRINT. Eat. Rest. Repeat.
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