An Elegant Puzzle

New roles are frequently described in terms of how they’ll impact other functions, rather than in terms of what they’ll accomplish. For example, you might describe technical program managers (TPMs) as offloading project management responsibilities from engineering managers. This approach frames the role as an auxiliary, support function, which makes it difficult to recognize the work’s impact. You must be able to frame the role’s work without referencing other existing roles in order for it to succeed long-term.