DiscoverArguing AgileAA240 - Why Product Managers & Solution Architects Are Always at War (And How to Fix It)
AA240 - Why Product Managers & Solution Architects Are Always at War (And How to Fix It)

AA240 - Why Product Managers & Solution Architects Are Always at War (And How to Fix It)

Update: 2025-12-10
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Is your solution architect a gatekeeper or an enabler? 

Join Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Consultant Om Patel as they draw from their experiences to debate the reasons these roles - which should be natural partners - often find themselves at odds. It's a no-holds-barred look into the eternal conflict between product managers and solution architects!

Watch or listen as we explore:
1. Why the role exists and if it's even necessary
2. Who owns technical decisions
3. How PMs may be part of the problem
4. Three conversations that never happen
5. Identifying architects: shepherds vs. hoarders
6. When and how to escalate (without destroying your career)

They provide actionable takeaways including the "documentation test," the "decision autonomy test," and the "vacation test" to evaluate whether your architect is enabling or blocking your teams.

Whether you're a product manager frustrated by architectural gatekeeping, a solution architect trying to add value without becoming a bottleneck, or a leader trying to resolve these conflicts, this episode offers you solid, practical takeaways that you can start trying today!

#ProductManagement #SolutionArchitect #Leadership

Team Topologies by Manuel Pais and Matthew Skelton, Empowered by Marty Cagan (2020), Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (2002), Radical Candor by Kim Scott, Release It! by Michael Nygard (2017), The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt, Arguing Agile Episode 67: Team Topologies, Arguing Agile Episode 235: Changing Your Message - Adaptive vs Manipulative Communication, Arguing Agile Episode 236: Why Product Managers Should Own Pricing

LINKS
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagile
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596
Website: https://arguingagile.com/

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AA240 - Why Product Managers & Solution Architects Are Always at War (And How to Fix It)

AA240 - Why Product Managers & Solution Architects Are Always at War (And How to Fix It)

Brian Orlando