A significant maturity gap in large organizations is that internal platform PMs don't treat their users (e.g., developers, finance) as customers. Applying customer-centric practices like problem framing and journey mapping to these stakeholders can dramatically improve outcomes.

A platform's immediate user is the developer. However, to demonstrate true value, you must also understand and solve for the developer's end customer. This "two-hop" thinking is essential for connecting platform work to tangible business outcomes, not just internal technical improvements.

To ensure its new payments platform was truly scalable, Irembo hired a new product manager. Existing PMs were too biased by the primary government product's needs. The new PM could treat the main product as just one client, enforcing standards and preventing over-customization.

For a new product, don't choose between targeting executives or end-users; do both simultaneously. While mapping the C-suite (top-down), engage lower-level employees to gather intel and build internal champions (bottom-up). This dual approach creates pressure and relevance from both directions.

To prevent its new mobile app from simply replicating its existing web platform, Irembo framed the mobile team's goal as competing with the web team. Their key metric was shifting user traffic from web to mobile for the same services. This created a competitive dynamic that forced innovation and differentiation.

To move from engineering to product, don't just ask for the role. Proactively demonstrate PM skills by systemizing learnings from customer interactions. Starting an internal 'customer insight newsletter' based on your debugging work proves your value and builds an undeniable case for the transition.

It's not enough for platform PMs to interview their direct users (developers). To build truly enabling platforms, you must also gain wider context by sitting in on the developers' own customer interviews. This provides deep empathy for the entire value chain, leading to better platform decisions.

Avoid the trap of building features for a single customer, which grinds products to a halt. When a high-stakes customer makes a specific request, the goal is to reframe and build it in a way that benefits the entire customer base, turning a one-off demand into a strategic win-win.

Unvalidated product ideas often originate from executive leadership or adjacent departments. A product manager's critical role is to use disciplined stakeholder management and clear communication to maintain focus on solving validated user problems, rather than simply executing on top-down directives.