and how to be a good product manager.
Shenyi Bureau is a compilation team under 36Kr, focusing on technology, business, workplace, life and other fields, focusing on introducing new technologies, new ideas and new trends abroad.
Editor's brief: Who is a Product Manager? Some people say that a product manager is the product CEO, and in the role of CEO on a product team, you need to deal with all kinds of people and handle everything. But the product manager doesn't have the authority of the CEO and can't really manage those people in terms of responsibility. As a result, doing the CEO's job well in name only becomes a big test for product managers. This article describes the role of a product manager, the qualities, and related learning resources. The article is from the compilation.
Focus: The product manager is the one responsible for solving the real customer problem, and the problem should be solved in a way that meets the needs of the business.
Probably one of the hardest things to do in product management is to lead and influence others without authority.
Product managers stand at the intersection of business, technology, and design.
Putting people first is a prerequisite for designing great experiences for your customers.
The product manager is the one responsible for solving the real customer problem, and the problem should be solved in a way that meets the needs of the business.
By solving real customer problems, I mean defining products and features that can really change the way customers live, work, and operate. By meeting business needs, I mean delivering solutions that ensure a strategy that allows the company to continue to grow, innovate and deliver on its vision. In other words, the product manager is responsible for discovering what needs to be developed for customers, why, and when, as well as delivering selected solutions to those customers.
You can see how heavy the pressure is on the shoulders of the product manager. This becomes even more difficult if you also expect the product manager to achieve the desired results as quickly and at the lowest possible cost. In many cases, we have limited resources and patience from executives and need to figure out on our own what works best, consistently deliver new value propositions to the market, and develop metrics that are most relevant to the business.
The job of a product manager is a lot of work. Often, this role is referred to as the "CEO of the product." Because of the value and impact this role brings to the product team and the company as a whole, this title is truly well deserved.
Traits such as ownership, leadership, and empowering others are essential attributes for many product people who can effectively work with engineers, product designers, and other organizational roles to develop products that customers love. There's no magic behind creating great products. Great products are created because the people behind those products truly believe in these qualities and the impact they can have on creating a successful product.
In general, you'll notice that tech entrepreneurs have a strong sense of product ownership. It stems from the fact that they are starting a business because they are passionate about the problem they want to solve. They are also evangelists for their own solutions and promote their products as much as possible. However, the interest of experienced entrepreneurs is mainly in problems rather than solutions. This is because the solution is not perfect. For an established problem, sometimes we can find a better solution than the existing alternatives.
Similarly, a strong product manager gets inspiration from the trial questions. They are constantly trying to improve the solution in a way that makes the customer more satisfied. This creates a strong sense of ownership of the product – something that happens when you want your product to solve real customer pain points, make a real impact on them, and strive to do better than what is available in the market.
The importance of leadership becomes apparent when you see that people on the product team need to trust you and trust that the decisions you make every day are based on your keen understanding of the business domain, and not just on your input or that of other stakeholders.
Of course, extraordinary influence and the ability to convince others to agree with you are strong leadership traits. However, this alone but lack of deep domain knowledge is not enough to earn the trust of colleagues. People need to trust you and allow you to lead them; Therefore, you can only earn that trust by working hard and learning continuously.
Many times, the title of "Product CEO" can lead to confusion about the position of the product manager on the product team. Note that the product manager is not the boss of anyone on the team. Engineers on the product team, product designers, and other experts are not required to report to the product manager other than APM. Probably one of the hardest things to do in product management is to lead and influence others without authority.
Now you might be asking – why is the product manager the product CEO in this case, but not the power that the CEO has? The answer is that even when they have power, great CEOs try to coach their employees by leading rather than dictating. In the same way, a good product manager influences others through leadership.
A strong product manager also empowers the entire product team to take ownership and leadership to act. As mentioned earlier, a good product is the result of active, powerful, and efficient collaboration between engineering, design, and product personnel. Everyone on the product team should feel empowered, willing to give their best to the success of the product, and lead the team forward in their areas of strength. Strong product managers feel that empowerment is part of their responsibility.
Product management is one of the most interesting and exciting roles in technology companies. Standing at the intersection of business, technology, and design, product managers not only have the opportunity to solve really tough product challenges, but also to work with the best people within the company. The product manager is at the center of collaboration between product team members and other roles in the company, and is responsible for ensuring that the products and features delivered meet the needs of customers and the business.
Product management is also one of the most important roles for customers in technology companies. Many times, product managers are referred to as customer advocates within the product team, and they realize that the product developed by the team should be based on real customer problems and should improve their work or life.
Putting people first is a prerequisite for designing great experiences for your customers.
At the same time, good product managers understand that they can't meet every customer's requirements. If all of their functional requirements were implemented, the product would end up in a mess that would cause more problems than it would solve. This customer's problem may not be a problem for another customer. Even if two customers have the same problem, the problem may not be as important to them. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as customers coming from different regions or using products for different goals.
The dilemma is exacerbated when companies or other product managers ask for additional features that they believe will improve operations or directly increase revenue. The problem is that sometimes implementing such features can lead to a negative user experience.
Let's say a product manager who is responsible for user motivation comes up with an idea to place a pop-up on the product's landing page. But you may be concerned that this will interfere with the overall user interaction. The product manager responsible for such decisions should carefully analyze the situation and can try to make small bets, and if they can make a big profit if they are satisfied with both customers and stakeholders.
The role of a product manager also involves a lot of communication with customers. Before embarking on any form of ideation, an experienced product manager first assesses who their target customers are and tries to understand their needs and desires. They talk to customers every week to learn about the pros and cons of the product, to discover if new ideas are worth working on, and to see how competitive their product is in the market. This allows the product manager to identify what the key activities the customer performs or needs to perform and understand how those activities will improve the customer experience. At this point, it's also important to analyze whether building or improving solutions for these activities will improve the metrics that matter most to the business.
In addition, the job of a product manager involves both strategic and tactical roles. Sometimes they may need to discuss the overall strategy of the product with their manager to ensure that the product is aligned with new business objectives and changing market trends. Sometimes they may need to sit down with product designers and engineers to discuss why the proposed solution may or may not bring value to their existing customer base. Making products is always in an ever-changing work environment that requires them to constantly switch from one role to another.
When thinking about a product, the product manager should also be able to balance depth and breadth. For example, a product manager working for a company like Airbnb might want to provide customers with filters to search for B&Bs. In addition to allowing customers to search and book efficiently, the filter should also provide simple logistics, such as meeting with the host and checking out.
The product manager is responsible for the entire user experience.
The technical product manager also has a key role in ensuring that the strategy chosen for the product is fully aligned with the vision the company is trying to achieve. They also need to make sure that the product strategy is specific and well-defined, that the product work is strategically oriented, and that the business goals that the product team is trying to achieve bring them closer to the product vision.
But that doesn't mean the product strategy has to stay the same at all times. Jeff Bezos once said, "The vision must be persistent, and the details can be flexible." This quote from the founder of Amazon is well said, and he believes that the details, in this case referring to the product strategy, can change due to various factors. Some factors may be new market opportunities, strategic partnerships, changing trends, and new competitors. A good product manager will always be up-to-date with the latest market and industry changes, maintaining flexibility in product work without compromising the product vision.
To conclude this discussion, I want to emphasize that the job of a product manager is more than just a 40-hour week. It requires a lot of effort and persistence, consistent collaboration with engineering and design staff and collaboration with other organizational roles, big and small, and constant communication with existing and potential customers. A product manager's job requires a lot of effort, but if done right, there will be results to be celebrated.
Characteristics of a good product manager.
Product managers have a lot to do, and they often have a lot to think about as well. For this reason, the role needs to have a variety of qualities to be successful. Here's what makes a good product manager:
Be smart, but also be humble.
Persistent, but also flexible.
Be diligent but also efficient.
Think big, but also start small.
Be accountable but also empowered.
Be smart, but also be humble.
Be smart, but also be humble.
The product manager is the ultimate problem solver. There can be a lot of dilemmas and challenges with the decisions they make on a daily basis. That's why they need a very sharp mind. The problems they encounter are not trivial, and correspondingly, their handling cannot be bland. And because of the special challenges they face, being smart isn't enough.
Solving problems isn't always easy. This requires in-depth analysis and skills in pattern detection. However, if you're arrogant, your problem-solving talents won't be fully respected by the team. People think you're a smart and intelligent person and also want you to be a good team player and not someone who goes around bragging about your accomplishments. Good product managers often use "we" instead of "me" when sharing personal success stories. It's all about teamwork, and humility fosters effective collaboration.
Persistent, but also flexible.
Everything great usually takes time to polish. The best education takes years. Scientific discoveries that change people's lives often take years. Similarly, it takes time to build a great product. This means that product managers need to be consistent, too. No one would say that success would be easy or overnight. Reaching your desired product and business milestones often requires a lot of time and resources.
Therefore, as a product manager, you need to dedicate yourself to what you do and what you develop. You need to be persistent when it comes to finding the right solution to your customer's problem. Note that when exploring the space for potential solutions, it is important to be hospitable to each solution. This is because there may be different solutions to established customer pain points. Staying neutral can help you find the most reasonable option. If the solution doesn't feel good enough, then you'll have to stick with it and find a better one.
At the same time, product managers need to be flexible. From day-to-day product work to quarterly product strategies, any situation needs to be flexible. This is because sudden changes can affect what you develop. Therefore, you need to adjust your long-term and short-term strategies to adapt to the new situation and make you the winning side. The so-called flexibility is often also the meaning of agile. When I say that product managers need to be agile, I primarily mean being able to adapt to changing situations and act accordingly.
Effort, but also efficiency.
The job of product management is not the usual 9-to-5. Even after work, you may have to think about the product and communicate with people. You may need to have hours of brainstorming sessions with product teams and stakeholders, and you may end up missing lunch. Yes, as a product manager you have to deal with these situations. It's very important to truly love what you do and put your heart and soul into it.
At the same time, you need to be efficient. There is a difference between hard work and skillful work. If you don't know how to use your skills effectively, staying up late won't help. Wasting time on trivial things won't bring much value to the product and the team, but will only waste the product team's time and resources, and ultimately won't bring any value to the customer and won't bring any benefit to the business. Therefore, it is necessary to try to distinguish between brute force and efficient work.
Think big, but also start small.
The product manager should be the visionary of the product. Although in some cases, the product vision comes from the leadership, the product manager also needs to believe in the vision and preach both inside and outside the company. If a product manager doesn't even believe in the vision of their own product, how can they empower the entire team to make that vision a reality? Product managers need to see the big picture and go to the future of the market and the industry. The world is changing rapidly, and they need to be prepared for change.
Generally speaking, good product makers think a few steps ahead. This can help them figure out exactly what needs to be done to be successful in the future. However, being a visionary requires more than just supporting good ideas. Product managers also need to pay attention to detail. It's great to think big, but it's also important to start small. Therefore, the product manager should be very detail-oriented and care about every little detail of the product. Forgetting or not paying attention to small details can eventually lead to the loss of the ability to fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of the product.
Be accountable but also empowered.
Behind every good product, there is a product manager who needs to be responsible for the success of the product. Similarly, a good product manager is responsible for the development of the product team and the company as a whole. At the same time, they empower product teams to do their best to tackle demanding product challenges. They lead teams and empower them to excel.
If you think of a team of superheroes, there's a good chance they'll act like superheroes someday in the future.
Leading by example is crucial.
In fact, there is not a single modern profession that is most related to product management. Tech companies tend to hire and train product managers with diverse backgrounds. Some companies also have their own preferences when hiring. For example, technology-driven companies tend to hire product managers with computer science or engineering degrees. In contrast, some companies like to hire product managers who have completed an MBA program.
The role of a technical product manager is very modern and shapes every aspect of many professional disciplines. Although becoming a product manager doesn't require you to be an expert in any of these areas, having a wealth of high-level knowledge in these areas helps product managers succeed better. Below we'll look at some of these areas, highlighting key concepts to understand.
Software. I know a lot of product managers with backgrounds in computer science and engineering. In fact, it's one of the most common paths to becoming a product manager. The reason is, as a technical product manager, you have to deal with technical solutions on a daily basis. As a result, understanding how technology works will be a huge advantage for you. Once you understand the fundamentals of the technology, it will be easier to interact with engineers.
Knowledge of the important ideas of computer science, especially software engineering, is also a big advantage. A good place to start might be by taking an introductory computer science course at a university or **. CS10 at UC Berkeley or CS50 at Harvard University is a great start for beginners. In addition, Charles Petzold's Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software and Jerome Saltzer's Principles of Computer System Design: An introduction) is also worth a look, as the anatomy of the software program is very clear and easy to understand.
Note that your goal is not to become a computer science expert, but to learn some of the basics of software engineering, such as how to write and run programs, different approaches and best practices for software development, etc. Knowledge of various technologies and languages is another big advantage. This knowledge is particularly useful for analyzing which technologies and programming languages are suitable for specific engineering scenarios.
As a data-driven product manager, you need to have enough technical knowledge to work closely with data. Once you've learned the basics of SQL (Structured Query Language) and database management systems, you'll be able to query data directly into the database to get up-to-date information about your customers and operations.
In addition, it is beneficial to learn the basics of Internet protocols such as IP, TCP, FTP, etc., which can help you understand how internet-based software solutions work and how client-side programming interacts with server-side programming. To convince yourself of the importance of advanced concepts in computer science, Douglas Rushkoff's book Program or Be Programmed is a great resource.
Product design. Before transitioning to product management, another common role for a product manager was product design. I've met many talented product managers who were great product designers before. The reason for this is that recognizing the power of good design can be a huge help to product people when conceptualizing new ideas.
Good design is undoubtedly an integral part of a good product. Therefore, having advanced design thinking and a high level of design product knowledge is essential for technical product management.
Product managers are heavily involved in processes such as user journey mapping and design sprints, so it's important to have good expertise in these areas. Product managers also have a lot of collaboration with product designers when doing user research and testing. Product managers must be well-versed in these types of activities, as well as the different methods used to perform them.
Note that we don't expect product managers to be product design experts because it's not part of their job. Still, a good place to start for a product manager is to have the ability to distinguish between good and bad interactions, to understand the meaning and usage of visual components, and to have good experience working with design artifacts such as sketches and wireframes. If you're looking to improve your design thinking skills, look for a product designer – so take advantage of that.
There are various resources online that can keep you up to date with the latest trends in product design, as product design is a fast-moving discipline with new ideas and practices popping up every day. It's a good idea to learn about the latest innovations in this discipline. In fact, Medium is one of the best places to find high-quality publications on product design. UX Collective and UX Planet are two excellent online publications.
If you want to learn about UX design in practice, Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things and Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden's Lean UX: Designing greatest products with agile teams are good bibliographies.
Product marketing. Product management is closely related to product marketing, because a few decades ago, these two disciplines were the domain of the so-called brand manager. Over time, product management has turned into a separate profession, but many practices are still relevant to product managers and product marketing managers. Although product marketing specialists are generally not part of the product team, they often interact with product managers. So it's helpful if the product manager has a good understanding of common concepts of product marketing.
Product communication skills are one of those practices that require both product managers and product marketers. It's important to build successful technology products, but it's also important to market those products effectively. Delivering product information is part of a marketing strategy and is a means of demonstrating the value of the product to customers. We need to make the delivery of product information efficient and original, and product managers can contribute a lot in these areas.
Learning the practice of go-to-market is another important area that can be helpful for product managers. A go-to-market strategy is an action plan that describes how a company or product can reach its target customers and gain a competitive advantage. Since this is closely related to product strategy, product managers work closely with product marketing managers to improve go-to-market plans.
Experience with customer acquisition strategies is another valuable skill for product managers. This skill demonstrates how well a product person knows their target audience and whether they have done their homework on acquiring technology. It's just as important to know how to measure the effectiveness of the customer acquisition process.
The above marketing skills are covered in the standard product marketing course. Beginners can attend Hubspot Academy, which offers practical courses on topics like general marketing strategies, such as search engine optimization, content marketing, and social marketing.
If you'd like to learn further, Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm," Gino Wickman's "Traction" and Rob Fitzpatrick's "The Mom Test" are must-reads.
Business & Finance.
I've seen a lot of professionals working in business and corporate finance before transitioning to product managers. In any case, everything a product manager develops for a customer should be able to contribute to business growth. Why do product managers need to fully understand how their tech companies make money? Why do you need to have a good understanding of the business metrics that can help your company grow? Here's why.
Product managers often use a variety of business and financial metrics in their day-to-day work. Metrics such as customer acquisition cost, customer lifetime value, and average revenue per customer reflect the profitable contribution each customer makes to the business. Metrics such as monthly (annual) recurring revenue and marginal earnings reflect revenue growth.
The product manager also works closely with the finance staff when making the financial decisions for the next few quarters of the product. Finance people can be a great resource for you to learn about these kinds of things. Be sure to communicate with them often.
An introductory course on online finance is probably a good place to start. Udemy offers fantastic** courses on financial modeling, analysis, and accounting above. There are some good resources above that are enough to give you background information on business and finance concepts.
If you're looking for a deeper dive, the likes of Karen Berman's Financial Intelligence, Revised Edition: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean, and Richard Rumelt's good Strategy, bad strategy) and other books are good material.
Translator: boxi
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