The 3 Key Aspects of Being a Product Manager in the Automotive and Mobility Industry

The role of a Product Manager in the automotive and mobility industry, specifically for digital products, is a crucial one. Product Managers are responsible for ensuring that the products they oversee meet the needs of the customers while also aligning with the business strategy and utilizing the latest technological innovations.

Differentiating Roles: Understanding the Distinction Between Product Managers and Project Managers

Product Managers are responsible for ensuring that the products they oversee meet the needs of the customers while also aligning with the business strategy and utilizing the latest technological innovations. However, it is important to note that the role of a Product Manager differs from that of a Project Manager.

A Project Manager is primarily responsible for managing the implementation and execution of a specific project. They are in charge of coordinating the efforts of a team and ensuring that the project is completed on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of the stakeholders. They focus on the day-to-day aspects of the project such as planning, monitoring, and controlling the project’s progress.

On the other hand, a Product Manager is responsible for the overall strategy, vision and development of the product. They are in charge of identifying and assessing the market opportunities, defining the product vision and strategy, leading the product development process, creating the product roadmap, and overseeing the user interface and user testing. They need to be a visionary, who can anticipate the market trends, understand the customer needs and has the ability to create a product that stands out in the market. They also need to be able to communicate this vision effectively to the stakeholders, and align the product development with the company’s overall strategy. They are responsible for driving the product development process from concept to launch, overseeing the design, development, testing, and launch of the product.

3 Key Traits of Successful Product Managers

As the role of a Product Manager in the automotive and mobility industry, specifically for digital products, is a crucial one, it’s important to understand the key traits that make a good Product Manager. In this article, we will discuss the three key aspects that a Product Manager must incorporate in order to be successful in this role. These aspects include:

1. Understanding the customer — understanding the customer needs, pains, and developing customer-centric solutions.
2. Focusing on business strategy — keeping the business strategy, pricing, go-to-market in focus.
3. Embracing technology — how to build it fast, efficient, using the latest technical innovations, testing with data etc.

Understanding the Customer

The first aspect of being a successful Product Manager is understanding the customer. This includes understanding their needs and pains, as well as developing customer-centric solutions. In the automotive and mobility industry, customers have specific needs and pain points that must be addressed in order for a product to be successful. For example, customers in this industry may be looking for products that make their commutes more efficient or that make their cars safer to drive. It is the responsibility of the Product Manager to understand these needs and develop solutions that address them.

One way to develop customer-centric solutions is to conduct research and gather customer feedback. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or user testing. By gathering feedback from customers, Product Managers can gain a better understanding of their needs and pain points and develop solutions that address them.

Another way to develop customer-centric solutions is to test with customers. This can be done through beta testing, where a product is released to a small group of customers for testing and feedback. By testing with customers, Product Managers can gather valuable feedback and make any necessary changes to the product before it is released to the general public.

A good Product Manager knows how to use analytics to make good decisions. This contributes to the quantitative understanding of the customer — if a product manager understands sales and usage data, she’ll understand customer behavior better. By analyzing data such as customer demographics, purchase history, and usage patterns, a Product Manager can gain insights into customer preferences and needs, and use this information to inform product development and marketing decisions. This allows the product manager to make data-driven decisions that are aligned with the customer needs, which can increase the chances of success for the product.

Focusing on Business Strategy

The second aspect of being a successful Product Manager is focusing on business strategy. This includes keeping the business strategy, pricing, and go-to-market in focus. In the automotive and mobility industry, it is important for Product Managers to understand the business strategy of the company and ensure that the products they oversee align with it. For example, if the company’s business strategy is to focus on electric vehicles, the Product Manager should ensure that the products they oversee align with this strategy.

Pricing is also an important aspect of business strategy. Product Managers must ensure that the products they oversee are priced competitively and that the pricing strategy aligns with the business strategy. For example, if the company’s business strategy is to focus on luxury vehicles, the Product Manager should ensure that the products they oversee are priced accordingly.

Finally, the go-to-market strategy is also important. Product Managers must ensure that the products they oversee are marketed in a way that aligns with the business strategy. For example, if the company’s business strategy is to focus on electric vehicles, the Product Manager should ensure that the products they oversee are marketed as sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Embracing Technology

The third aspect of being a successful Product Manager is embracing technology. This includes using the latest technical innovations and testing with data. In the automotive and mobility industry, technology is constantly evolving and it is important for Product Managers to stay up-to-date with the latest innovations. For example, in recent years, there has been a shift towards electric and autonomous vehicles. Product Managers must be familiar with these technologies and ensure that the products they oversee align with them.

Testing with data is also important. Product Managers must gather data on how customers are using their products and use this data to make improvements. For example, data can be gathered on how customers are using the navigation system in their cars and used to make improvements to the system.

Examples of successful product managers in mobility

One example of a famous product manager in the mobility industry is Chris Urmson. Chris Urmson is a former chief technical officer at Aurora Innovation, a self-driving car technology company, and was also the former CTO of Google’s self-driving car project, Waymo. During his time at Waymo, Chris Urmson played a key role in the development and launch of Waymo’s self-driving car technology. He was responsible for the overall strategy and vision of the product, leading the product development process, creating the product roadmap, and overseeing the user interface and user testing. He was also responsible for communicating the product vision effectively to the stakeholders, and aligning the product development with the company’s overall strategy. Chris Urmson’s leadership and product management skills played a key role in the development and success of Waymo’s self-driving car technology.

Another example of a famous product manager in the mobility industry is Georgie Smallwood, Product Manager at Tier. Georgie Smallwood has been working at Tier, a European e-scooter company, since 2020. During this time, she has been responsible for the overall strategy and vision of the company’s products, leading the product development process, creating the product roadmap, and overseeing the user interface and user testing. She has also been responsible for communicating the product vision effectively to the stakeholders, and aligning the product development with the company’s overall strategy. She has a proven track record of successfully launching and scaling new products, and has played a key role in the company’s growth.

Common Pitfalls in Product Management

In addition to the three key aspects of being a successful Product Manager, there are also common pitfalls in product management that must be avoided. One of the most common pitfalls is relying too heavily on business needs and not considering customer needs or technological/data perspectives.

When a Product Manager focuses solely on the business needs, they may neglect the needs of the customers or the latest technological advancements. This can lead to products that do not meet the needs of the customers or that are not competitive in the market. For example, if a Product Manager focuses solely on the business needs and does not consider the latest advancements in electric vehicles, the resulting product may not be as competitive in the market as it could be.

Another common pitfall is not gathering enough customer feedback or data. Without this feedback and data, Product Managers may not have a clear understanding of the needs and pain points of the customers or how the products are being used. This can lead to products that do not meet the needs of the customers and are not successful in the market.

To avoid these pitfalls, Product Managers must ensure that they are taking a well-rounded approach to product management. This includes understanding the customer needs and pains, keeping the business strategy, pricing, and go-to-market in focus, and embracing technology and testing with data.

Conclusion

Being a Product Manager in the automotive and mobility industry for digital products is a challenging role, but also a rewarding one. In order to be successful in this role, Product Managers must incorporate the three key aspects of understanding the customer, focusing on business strategy, and embracing technology. By doing so, they can ensure that the products they oversee meet the needs of the customers, align with the business strategy, and utilize the latest technological innovations. Furthermore, it’s important to avoid common pitfalls such as relying too much on business needs and not including customer needs or technological/data perspectives.