What is the Product Management?
November 21, 2008 at 6:10 PM 2 comments
What is the product management? Particularly what is the product management of a software product? There is no clear definition. Wikipedia has a definition. But I don’t that it is as complete as it could. Since the context is too broad, let’s focus it on software business in which I have spent almost all of my career.
When I asked other product managers what they do daily, I got variety of answers. Some of them worked like a UI designers and testers. Some of them did so-called outbound product marketing because the product is defined mainly by engineering teams. You can expect more answers than that. And if you talk to 10 product managers from different companies, you will probably get 10 different answers.
So what is a software product manager to me? I thought that I had an answer when I started this blog. But when I about to write it, it appears to me that I don’t. But I do have several thoughts about it.
- A product manager is a broker, who can sense the demand – customer needs- and generate the supply – a idea converted to a product.
- A product manager is a puzzle solver, who needs to connect dots together, from an opportunity, an idea, all the way to the post-launch follow through. Not only that, a product manager should realize that those dots are not connected as a line. In fact, they are connected as a spiral circle. And you need to have a clear vision on where you want it to go.
- A product manager is a care taker, who will take every step to nurture the product, from a concept to a successful release. This means that a product manager will think it as a whole yet pay attention to the detail.
- A product manager is a master negotiator, who must have a way to bring all the cross-functional teams together, communicate and convince them, and make tough decisions for necessary trade-offs.
Let me try to summarize it in one sentence. A product manager is a master who can carry a team of different players to convert an idea into a product into a growing marketplace to meet specific needs.
Let’s see whether I will be still satisfied with this definition in a year.
Entry filed under: General Product Management. Tags: enterprise software, LinkedIn, product management.
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An Open Discussion on Product Management 
1.
Nagraj | May 26, 2009 at 1:05 AM
–Are (Software) Product Management processes relevant for custom built business applications as well or limited only to COTS?
Hi,
I have always seen software product management being talked about in the context of COTS. And I’m not clear on this one. Are they applicable only to COTS?
I have worked on custom built business applications and I have found that many of the processess of product management discipline are applicable there as well.
Does product management as a discipline include custom built business applications? I would like to listen to your experiences and perspectives. Will be very useful.
Thanks
Nagraj
2.
HHY in the Valley | May 26, 2009 at 8:57 AM
I totally agreed with you that product management discipline is applicable to custom-built business application as well. In that context, one still needs to deal with your targeted persona (perhaps LOB users), your competitor landscape (built vs. buy, etc.), and many other aspects that a COTS product manager will do in a different context. It could well be that process of product management in your situation is different than those is ISV’s because you are dealing with different organizational hierarchy. But the bottom line, in my view, is still the same.