Author: Liu Bowen (Berwin), nickname "Nine Five", the best-selling book "layman Vue.js" author, well-known technology blogger, lecturer, Department of Amoy Alibaba front-end technology expert technical department is responsible for the Department of Amoy 618, double 11 The terminal rendering architecture of the main venue of large-scale marketing activities.
Recalling the meeting when I first came to Hangzhou at the beginning of the year, when the epidemic was serious, I had to stay in a hotel for half a month before I first came to Hangzhou before entering the Alibaba Xixi Park (hereinafter referred to as the "Park"). Time flies quickly. I have been to Hangzhou for half a year in a flash, and I have experienced a lot in the past half year and learned a lot. I wrote an article to summarize my growth in the past half year.
Dare to challenge authority
Have the courage to challenge authority, find problems in the existing technology system, and solve them.
I remember that when I first came to Hangzhou, I was very worried and looked forward to the future. It was very cool to be able to work with so many very powerful engineers. In addition, our team was doing the double eleven promotion venue. , Technical people know what Double Eleven means to engineers. After joining the job, a lot of technical terms and various technical systems have been laid out, which really made me feel the power of technology, so I have been understanding and contacting the existing technical systems with a learning attitude.
The 618 campaign started in the second month after entering the park. Thanks to the trust of director Mo Ming. At that time, I undertook a very important special PM (Project Manager), which was considered to be very risky and challenging throughout the 618 campaign. Special project, also because it did a good job, and it was very stable after it went online. Therefore, I won an "Awesome Work Brother-At this moment it is me" award from the 618 campaign award. The certificate is hanging in the Taobao building. After three or four months, winning the award within three months after joining the company should be considered more proud.
Of course, this is not just to show off, but when I thought I was doing very well, it was time to switch to the positive test. Although I passed the trial period, the feedback I got was that my performance did not exceed expectations, and my execution was very strong. , But I "have not brought changes to the existing technology system."
In other words, the purpose of recruiting me is not to be a resource. Although the 618 campaign was well fought, how can it be worse to be honest? What everyone expects of me is to bring changes to the existing relatively mature system.
How to bring changes to the existing system? After everyone's guidance and my own thinking, the answer is: "discover problems with the existing system". I just came to think that the technology system here is very good, plus the double eleven that has accumulated for so many years, it is already a relatively mature technology. I think this is an authority and there can be no problems, so I have been understanding and learning with the idea of worship. Existing system, so this is the problem.
The most profound growth I learned at this time was: "We must be brave to challenge authority, discover the problems in the existing technology system, and solve them."
How to advance things as a PM
Thanks to the supervisor’s training and trust, it gave me a lot of room for trial and error. In the six months since I joined the company, I have made many mistakes from my first PM to now. After making mistakes, I also learned a lot about being a Project Manager. This section summarizes these developments and shares with you.
▐Resolve obstacles to cooperation
When advancing the project, sometimes encounter some obstacles, such as: non-cooperation, difficulty in cooperation, poor initiative, etc. The vast majority of students who can come to work in Ali will not have "ability" or "attitude" issues, so most of the obstacles can be attributed to:
Inconsistent information
Inconsistent goals
Inconsistent priority
Solving obstacles is to solve the above three points . Inconsistent information can be solved by "communication" and "empathy", while "inconsistent goals" and "inconsistent priorities" can be solved by "rising". As long as things are important enough, give There are several solutions, and the problem will be solved according to the most reasonable solution when it reaches a certain level.
▐Build your own authority
When I joined the company for about three months, I found that PD (product manager, we call Product Design in Alibaba, or "product design") did not trust me in the process of working with me, for example: the same The answer PD will believe in my senior brother and supervisor. After I give the plan, PD will go to my supervisor and ask if there is a better plan. This also gave me a lot of growth. At that time, I also specifically asked the second-level supervisor for some methods.
Pull people to prove their judgment
Case 1: Before establishing its own authority, PD did not believe in the plan I gave in many cases. Then the solution to this situation is: Suppose there are three schemes, after synchronizing their respective pros and cons to the PD, if they are not satisfied, you can bring in other people, for example, bring in your own supervisor to support your own judgment. (But the premise is that you have to do your homework, first communicate with your supervisor to reach an agreement, and then synchronize the information to the PD).
Case 2: Assuming that the two existing solutions have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the perfect solution requires the cooperation of Team A, then you can pull your PD to talk to the PD of Team A (the premise is to reach an agreement with your PD first, and Pulling PD for the lead is just to prove your own judgment). On the one hand, it is important to prove to the PD of Team A that it is important, and on the other hand, it is not so simple to prove to your PD. If things get stuck, go back to the "Resolving Obstacles to Cooperation" section, and the problem will definitely be resolved in the end.
The reason for bringing the supervisor in is to prove his judgment, not to throw out complicated issues with PD.
To pull the supervisor's evidence, you must first communicate to reach a consensus, not suddenly pull the supervisor in to prove yourself, so as to avoid the supervisor's judgment and yourself being beaten on the spot
Insufficient resources and PD said, what should I do?
First reach an agreement with the supervisor, objectively evaluate whether the requirements are really important enough to involve other students to help with the development, evaluate which requirement has a higher priority from a more macro perspective, and then give the PD a synchronous conclusion. If you do not accept the supervisor, it is better The same conclusion, no longer accepting the supervisor who is in charge is the same conclusion. Authority is established little by little in daily life.
The art of working with PD
Back to the original question, why did PD ask my supervisor for help?
She wants to push things better
She feels that finding a supervisor will have a more satisfactory plan
In essence, I have not established my own authority. In addition, PD is a weaker party, so if she is not satisfied with the plan I gave, she will go to someone she trusts for help to see if there is a better plan. So if she really got a more satisfactory plan at this time, then she would think that this trick would work again next time, at this time my authority would collapse.
The solution is: the information given to PD by doing your homework in advance is always an authoritative judgment. When you do not trust yourself, you can pull someone to prove that your judgment is correct, or go with PD to find other people to continue to advance & solve the problem, and gradually let PD Realizing that even if I find other people who I trust, I will get the same conclusion. My conclusion is correct and authoritative.
Accumulate your credit
As a new student, PD may find the same thing and the same solution, and PD often distrusts the new student.
The daily work here is essentially the process of accumulating credit and consumer credit. The solution is: accumulate your own credit a little bit in your daily work, and when the opportunity comes, you must have the courage to consume credit to promote things. This also reflects "At this moment, it’s not me. It is the Alibaba values.
Of course, if you lose a battle, your credit will be consumed. If you are not a new classmate, it is difficult to be trusted if you are defeated frequently. Therefore, you must rely on your own ability to accumulate credit and establish authority.
▐Project risk synchronization
In the past six months, I have made two mistakes about risk synchronization. These two mistakes also taught me two experiences about project risks.
Risk synchronization: Case 1
It happened during the 88th promotion this year. At that time, I upgraded a new version of the underlying rendering architecture of the venue. In a very short period of time, I used the newly developed 2.0 to catch up with most of the functions of 1.0 that are currently running, and then the 88th promotion Switching to 2.0 can be compared to changing the engine of an airplane in the sky. After switching to 2.0, as expected, some minor problems occurred.
The problem is that I did not notify the business side of the action and behavior of changing the engine of the aircraft. When the problem occurred, the business side was surprised. Why did so many problems suddenly occur this time after doing well before? The business side had no expectations for this.
In this matter, what I learned is: when doing something, you must notify all people who may be affected by this matter, and fully synchronize your plans, plans, risks and other information to the likely The benefits for those affected are:
Many people are powerful. If the plan is really immature and there are loopholes, everyone can improve and improve stability together.
Everyone knows this, and the plans, plans, risks, and pre-plans have all been approved by everyone. Even if something really goes wrong, it won’t give you a “surprise”.
Risk synchronization: Case 2
The background of the matter was that once I was in charge of an event. During the process, I found that there was a risk of delay in the progress, but at that time I chose to resist myself and work overtime to catch up with the progress. Later, I underestimated the seriousness of this incident, which resulted in the exposure of the risk when I couldn’t bear it. I urgently added people to solve the incident. Although this incident did not cause any problems, I only exposed the risk at the end of the day. Is wrong.
Through this incident, I also learned how to do things right (thanks to the supervisor’s tireless teaching). Exposure risk is not a manifestation of weakness and inability. Exposure risk is the professional quality of a PM. Don’t take risks and pressure yourself. Process If there is a risk in need of help, it should be raised in time to avoid exposing the risk until the end cannot be carried.
▐Misunderstanding : Dare to rise and expose risks
New recruits will enter a misunderstanding:
Why is the project I am in charge of, everyone is arguing, is it because my ability is not enough?
Why do I have to rely on higher-level classmates to make decisions about many things in the project I am in charge of?
Why the project I am in charge of is risky again? Is it because my ability is not enough?
Now I can tell you clearly, no, not at all!
There are many reasons for hindering the advancement of the project, and most of them cannot be solved in their own position. Ascending is a very efficient solution.
The same is true when projects encounter risks. Except for risks caused by their own capabilities, most of the risks are objective facts and have nothing to do with their own capabilities. It is the kingly way to immediately and fully expose the risks and seek resources to solve the risks. It is the basic quality that a professional PM should possess.
Professionalism of PM
PM has only one goal: "Ensure that the project goes live on time and quality," but the process is also important. Alibaba has a native saying I like very much: the result of no process is "garbage", and the process of no result is "fart".
In the process of advancing the project, the basic qualities a qualified PM needs are:
Owner mentality
Make key technical decisions
Full exposure
Mobilize all the forces that can be mobilized
I always keep in mind a well-known saying in the team: all difficulties concerning things can be solved by persistence, and all difficulties concerning people can be solved by empathy.
▐About emotional control
When the project is complicated and the production relationship is also complicated, various difficulties and obstructions will be encountered. It is easy to lose control of emotions when communicating, but as a qualified PM, you should not be controlled by emotions at any time.
At all times, we should rationally analyze problems based on objective facts, and should not be subjective obsessions.
This is also a point for me to strengthen my training in the future. In the past six months, I have often lost control of my emotions. In the future, I will overcome this and become a professional Project Manager.
▐About program evaluation
Assessing whether a certain plan is feasible should not only evaluate whether it is technically feasible, but also consider the impact that will be brought about when the plan is advanced.
I once made a mistake on this point. In the review of the technical solution, I only agreed to a certain solution after judging the feasibility of the technology, but I did not consider that the solution would have a big other impact after being advanced. . Later, my senior brother stopped this incident in time, but he had promised PD to proceed according to a certain plan and regretted it. For newcomers like me and even our team in PD's mind, it is a very credible thing ." It may take a long time to accumulate credit, but the consumption of credit is just an unintentional mistake.” You must cherish your credit. “Credit” is the passport for PM to advance things.
▐Avoid kicking the ball accidentally
When customers (operations, products, and others) have questions and come to consult with them, even if they are not in their domain, do not directly tell them who you are going to look for. The correct way is to take the problem down first, and then find the corresponding students in the team to solve it in a group.
I have encountered this kind of football kicking situation. I have a question to find A, A said let me find B, B let me find C, C said that he is not responsible for this, and then I directly went to their co-supervisor ,problem solved.
I know they didn't play football on purpose, but when I couldn't find who their No. 1 position was, this method was the fastest solution for me. First of all, this is not good for the customer's physical sense, and the other is that after I asked their co-supervisor for help, their physical sense was not good. Therefore, we must have an owner mentality, "let the business side be happy, let the supervisor trust."
Professionalism of front-end engineers
I have said a lot about the mistakes I made and the growth I have gained in PM, so as a front-end engineer, I have also gained some growth in the past six months.
▐Be a person with "labels"
To be a person with labels, characteristics and influence, after working in the company for a period of time, people should not only be a "front-end engineer" in people's minds, but should be a front-end engineer of XXX.
Labels should be obtained by myself. There are two labels I am trying to obtain: "Double Eleven Front End PM" and "P8 under 30".
▐Make things different because of themselves
A soul torture: What is the difference between what I am responsible for today and what others have done? Today, as the Project Manager, I am in charge of a certain project. What difference will it make if I change to another person?
Whether you win a prize today or get a good performance, is it really because you have done a good job, or is it because the supervisor has put himself in this position and has obtained more resources? If you put other people in this position, what is the difference from yourself? This is a question worth thinking about.
A particularly big misunderstanding is: I think I have good skills, so I do better than others. Today’s classmates who can enter Ali are not bad technically, and most of the work is not to build rockets, so "good technology! == get good results" , good skills will increase the probability of getting good results, but Not necessarily to get good results.
Therefore, the projects that you have to be responsible for are different because the PM is yourself. Let your team become different because of your own existence.
▐Learn to empathize
Translocate to a higher dimension to think, many times you can understand what you don't understand. Thinking from the perspective of a partner, you can understand why he is not cooperative, difficult to cooperate, and poor initiative. Thinking from the perspective of the customer, you can understand why she doesn't trust herself.
Still the same sentence: All difficulties concerning things can be solved by persistence, and all difficulties concerning people can be solved by empathy.
▐The art of communication
This is what I learned from chatting with the supervisor once. When communicating with people, we must learn to listen. When resolving conflicts or problems, the first step is to "listen". First listen, fully understand the information, and then spread the matter out based on objective facts. And tell what the correct approach is based on objective facts, and then point out what might be insufficient.
If you don’t listen, you just make judgments. If you don’t get enough information, you can judge them. Is the judgment really objective? Or is it subjectively inclined? Even if you have a complete understanding of the situation and can make judgments without input, will the information output party think that the judgments made by him are not objective enough? Because he made judgments without listening to what he said, he would definitely question the fairness of his judgments.
to sum up
In the past six months, the growth is far more than that. I am still grateful to Shu Wen for bringing me to this team and for giving me opportunities and guidance. Thanks to the supervisor, Mo Ming, for his continuous teaching and trial and error in the past six months. I believe that in the future, I will assume greater responsibilities in actual combat. I believe that in the future, I will make our team different because of my existence.
More:
Jiuwu Twitter: https://twitter.com/jiuwu_lbw
Jiuwu Blog: https://github.com/berwin/Blog/issues
Jiuwu Zhihu: https://www.zhihu.com/people/berwin-95 /
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✿ Further reading
Author| Liu Bowen (Jiuwu)
Edit| Orange
Produced| Alibaba's new retail technology