TPM Role Examples

There are many different flavors of TPMs and they can be found in various parts of an organization. I’ve narrowed down the flavors into three main “buckets” that I’ve seen.

Engineering execution

These are TPMs that are deeply involved with engineering teams and help them execute more effectively and efficiently through the process, structure, and clarity. You’ll likely be assigned to one to two projects or initiatives that are high priority or high risk. Make sure that it is carried through to completion. You’ll also be responsible for setting the right level of process for the team depending on the size of the team.

For smaller teams, this may not be necessary. In this role, you’ll need to dive in deep and become a domain expert in the area that they are working on (i.e., security, networking, infrastructure, or hardware) since you’ll be working closely with engineers.

Large scale initiative

These TPMs work on multi-team and multi-quarter projects that require coordination between many different teams. This could look like driving a large migration, ensuring compliance with legislation such as GDPRGeneral Data Protection Regulation, or shipping a new hardware product. Here the scope of the role is much more breadth-focused, and it will likely involve much more in-depth tracking and broad communication.

Central operations

Large organizations typically need to manage complex processes like quarterly planning, resource management, or launch reviews. TPMs are often responsible for the large and technically complex processes like managing storage, computer, and networking resources or launch reviews involving security, reliability, or privacy teams. This role requires strong organizational skills to scale the process and make it efficient, as well as having the technical expertise to rightly scope the process, and ensure it is effective and adds value to teams.