Product Managers have varying roles across different companies depending on their size, function and culture. This article focuses on the generally accepted work responsibilities of a Product Manager (PM) in a technology company.
1. Mini CEO
PMs are, often, referred to as mini CEOs because they practically do everything a CEO is supposed to do. They own the product and all accountability around the product ends at them. Just as CEOs optimize the company’s resources to maximize shareholders’ interests, PMs do so for customers’ interests.
2. Strategy
PMs define the long term strategy of their products in line with the company’s and its leadership’s larger objectives. They win the trust of the leadership of the company to execute this strategy through the defined timeline. This demands absolute command over technology trends and domain of their products requiring PMs to be passionate about both.
3. Design
PMs decide the user interface, design and user experience of their products by deeply engaging with professional designers who translate the PM’s vision using their expertise.
4. Technology
PMs work very closely with the technology teams to execute their products through development of features. They also double up as the most obsessed users of their products to understand and know it inside out.
5. Management
Apart from senior management, PMs work with a variety of managers through the ideation, execution and release of their product. This includes managers from technology, marketing, operations, finance, legal, etc. Of course, this means that PMs must try and understand how business works in their company across functions to be able to understand, appreciate and interact with these functions for the successful launch and running of their products.
6. Data
Data is a PM’s best friend. While PMs are expected to take tough decisions and own ultimate accountability for their products, they must swear by data driven decision making. Successful PMs obsess about defining and using metrics to improve their products and base their decisions on.
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