A Product Manager (PM) is a professional responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition for a product or product line. They act as the intersection between business, technology, and user experience (UX).
Key responsibilities
- Strategy & Vision: Defining the product vision, strategy, and roadmap based on market analysis, customer feedback, and business goals.
- Requirement Gathering: Understanding and representing user needs, translating them into product requirements and user stories.
- Prioritization: Managing the product backlog, prioritizing features, and making trade-offs based on value, effort, and strategic alignment.
- Roadmapping: Creating and maintaining the product roadmap to communicate the planned direction and timeline.
- Launch & Iteration: Overseeing product launches and managing the product lifecycle, including gathering feedback for iterations.
- Stakeholder Management: Collaborating with engineering, design, marketing, sales, support, and leadership teams.
- Market Analysis: Understanding the competitive landscape, market trends, and customer segments.
Skills of a product manager
- Strategic Thinking: Ability to define a vision and roadmap.
- Communication: Clearly articulating strategy, requirements, and decisions to diverse audiences.
- Prioritization: Making tough decisions about what to build and when.
- Empathy: Understanding user needs and perspectives.
- Analytical Skills: Using data to inform decisions.
- Collaboration: Working effectively with cross-functional teams.
Product Managers play a crucial role in ensuring that a company builds the right products that meet both user needs and business objectives.
