{"id":4384264,"date":"2021-02-01T15:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T13:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/5-things-every-product-manager-should-know-about-software-development\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:44:23","slug":"5-things-every-product-manager-should-know-about-software-development","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-in\/insight\/5-things-every-product-manager-should-know-about-software-development\/","title":{"rendered":"5 things every product manager should know about software development"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\t5 things every product manager should know about software development\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tJesse Streb\t\t
\n\t\tGlobal SVP, Engineering & Technology\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t1 February 2021\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\t\tAs a product manager, you might think there\u2019s zero chance you\u2019re ever going to learn anything about computer science.\u00a0\t<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

But learning the basics of software architecture can go a long way in understanding how long development will take, what\u2019s possible, and why your engineering team says the things they do.

Here are a few topics that are worth studying a bit.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\tHow the internet works \t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\tThe architecture for how the internet works controls most decisions your engineering team makes. Understanding how the overall pieces fit together will help you understand technical decisions, limitations, and even team organization.

This may seem like a large topic, but the fundamentals are pretty easy to grasp. A few introductory topics:

1. Server<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 In very basic terms,\u00a0a server is a computer somewhere\u00a0that\u2019s always on and serving up something for you (for example, the backend of your web app).

2. Client<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 It depends on the context, but oftentimes the client is your (or one of your user\u2019s) laptop or phone.

3. Client<\/strong>\/Server communication<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 This is a broad category that encompasses an immense number of technical topics, but in general they\u2019re all there for the same purpose: enable communication between clients (your user\u2019s computer) and servers (your backend). Some of the many things you\u2019ll hear that fall\u00a0into this category: DNS, HTTP, TCP\/IP, API call.

4. The\u00a0Cloud<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 As the old joke goes: the cloud is just someone else\u2019s computer.

5. The (very) Basics of Web App Architecture<\/strong>
This is an extension of how the internet works, with a focus on how most modern web and mobile applications function.

Here\u2019s a list of some initial topics you should familiarize yourself with:

1. Frontend<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Generally speaking, this refers to the code running in each user\u2019s browser (client) and the associated user interface that your users interact with.

2. Backend<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 This refers to code running on servers your company controls, and is where most business logic happens.

3. Database<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 This is the technology that stores all of your application\u2019s data, running on a server that your team controls.

4. SQL queries\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014 Assuming your database is a SQL variant (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL), writing SQL queries is how the backend interacts with the database to store and retrieve information. It\u2019s also often how initial analytics data is gathered,\u00a0so learning the basics of SQL in order to query your own information\u00a0for reports can be helpful.
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