Product Management 101: What is a Product Manager?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably either interested in product management as a career, or somehow you got hired into a product manager role and are currently sitting at your desk wondering what the heck you’re supposed to be doing.
Don’t worry, I got you covered.
The role of product manager is relatively new and increasing in popularity. As such, the definition is somewhat ambiguous, and, if you were like me, you might not have known the job existed until you applied for it.
So, what is product management? The answer to that question probably depends on who you ask and what company they work for. Each company has their own flavor of product management, but I think there are a few common themes in each, and I’ll do my best to break that down for you.
While what I discuss will mostly be through the lens of my experiences working as a product manager at SaaS company called Lucid Software, I believe they hold true in a general sense.
A product manager’s (PM) responsibility can be summarized like this: Build the right thing, for the right people, at the right time. As a PM, your job is to make sure the product you are responsible for is not only moving forward, but also moving in the right direction.
The PM works to define what needs to be built, and then be the liaison between the customer, the software engineers, the designers, and the key stakeholders. That means being the chief decision maker, the negotiator, the mediator, the mentor, the strategist, the researcher, the design adviser, the donut buyer, and every other role that needs to be filled to keep things moving smoothly.
So how do you know what needs to be built? You talk with customers. A lot. In fact, the most important aspect of being a PM is your ability to talk to customers and sift out the jewels of insight they might have. Doing primary research is a big part of being a PM, but analyzing data and understanding trends are also key tools in the PM arsenal.
That being said, being a PM means wearing a lot of hats, which makes the job very fun, challenging, and rewarding. Just ask the Wall Street Journal.
“Oh, I have a friend who does project management for XYZ”. Many people often confuse a project manager with a product manager. They are not the same role, so make sure you don’t confuse the two yourself in an interview!
A project manager is typically in charge of a specific project, and making sure that project reaches completion on time and on budget. There is typically a set life to the project (like the launch of an event, for example), and then they move on to the next project. Their goal is to ensure everything moves smoothly, keep on top of people, forecast the budget, etc. (but don’t quote me on any of this, I’ve never actually been a project manager).
Conversely, a product manager is on a product or feature indefinitely. Their feature might include a launch date, but that does not signal the end of their work. In addition to that, they are (or should be) less concerned about making sure that people are on task (thats the engineering leads responsibility) and much more concerned with solving problems and figuring out solutions.
“How do we improve retention?” is a great problem for a product manager. “How do we launch this product line by Christmas?” is a great problem for a project manager. You want to be solving the former problems more than the latter.
Lastly, A product manager is not really a manager of people, but more a manager of expectations. Some companies might give you the ability to fire someone, but most companies won’t. You aren’t the software engineers manager. You aren’t the UX designers manager. You’re the products manager, so don’t let the title go to your head.
The product is your baby. You should know it inside and out. You should understand where it came from, and where it’s going, and why the product is where it is right now. If someone has questions about something product related, you should be the person they go to get it answered.
So how do you become a PM? Check out the next Product Management 101 piece!
Like what you read? Follow me on twitter @Nathannenga
(Image credit to Unsplash)