Blogs on Operations and Project Management

In this fast-moving and technologically advancing world, companies need to continuously create new products/services to meet and exceed the expectations of their customers. A product manager plays a crucial role here. What does a Product Manager do? To ensure the product meets and exceeds customer expectations and the business remains competitive, a product manager is expected to deeply understand the industry and customer preferences and then come up with a strategy to solve customer problems in a differentiated way.A product manager develops a strategy and vision for a product/service, liaises with teams from other departments to achieve the vision, and defines the product’s roadmap, strategy, and features to meet the end-users’ requirements and needs. As a matter of fact, a product manager handles all the processes required for conceptualizing, developing, marketing, and maintaining the lifecycle of a product/service. What are the important skills every product manager should have? To rise to the top 10 percent of the crowd in product management, you must exhibit, or be willing to develop, the following six skills over time.  Six Must Have Skills for Product Managers Skill 1: A knack for problem-solving The primary reason companies make a new product or refine an existing one is to find a solution to the problem their customers are confronting. As a product manager, you must demonstrate that you have a knack for problem-solving. One of your duties is to define the use of your product and match that with your customer personas to be sure you are targeting the right consumers. More importantly, you should be able to come up with real solutions to the problems that customers need help with. In some circumstances, it may require adding new features to the existing product so as to enhance its performance or create an entirely new product. Good problem-solving skills will help you understand your customer problems, create products that will help solve them, and make strategic decisions for the course of action you need to take to develop and launch such a product.  Skill 2: A general understanding of the product design and development It is imperative that you familiarize yourself with the product design and development processes. This doesn’t mean that you are required to study product design at the university before you can become a product manager, but you will certainly benefit from some rudimentary knowledge about product research, solution ideation, market research, competition research, product development, launch, and marketing. You may need to learn more about these processes throughout your career, but it pays to have an idea of how they work.  Skill 3: Business acumen and strategic thinking Having an MBA can be of advantage in developing your business and strategic thinking, but it is not a compulsory prerequisite for becoming a product manager. At the barest minimum, you must show that you fully understand the benefits of creating a new product or improving the existing ones to your organization. You want to ensure that your organization’s goals or visions are in alignment with the product(s) you are managing. In case of strategic thinking, you must be able to come up with great ideas or suggestions aimed at advancing the objectives of your organization, organize meetings, and hold sensible discussions about the opportunities your organization should take advantage of. You should be able to identify the right stakeholders that can be included in managing a product lifecycle and outline the most appropriate procedures for designing, developing, launching, and marketing the product.   Skill 4:The ability to analyze and interpret data A lot of data is generated in the course of managing a product lifecycle. Hence, it is your responsibility to properly analyze the data and interpret it in a simple, logical, and understandable way so that everyone can grasp the outcome of your research and work. If you are a tech product manager, there is a possibility that some of the people you will be working with might be non-technical, and it becomes your duty to simplify everything for them. Most executives cannot interpret data. As a product manager, it is your job to make sure that they understand everything.  Skill 5: Excellent interpersonal skills Product management is a team-based field which indicates that you will be required to work with many professionals from various departments. As a product manager, you will be liaising with members of sales, marketing, legal, engineering, manufacturing, HR, procurement, distribution teams, and some external stakeholders. So, you must exhibit great ability to manage interpersonal relationships. You should also be able to communicate your ideas clearly to others and display a nature of resiliency and compromise. Most of the time, to get your job done, you will be required to negotiate with others and seek some consensus. You need those people’s support to be able to successfully carry out your duty as a product manager. Skill 6: Customer empathy Last but not least is customer empathy. In fact, it is the most important attribute every product manager should embody. Being sympathetic with your organization’s customers means that you will carefully consider their pain points, champion the development of products/services that will help them overcome their problems, and work with them to see that they derive maximum satisfaction from using those products/services. Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know by Chintan Udeshi, published by Vibrant Publishers. Product Management Essentials: Your fundamental guide to mastering these essential skills All the skill sets expected of a product manager may seem overwhelming at first, but you can learn them gradually through experience, an open heart, and some assistance. A book like Product Management Essentials helps you navigate your Product Manager role seamlessly and build the skillset necessary to ace the role. The book provides practical advice and actionable steps, bringing together everything you need to know to grow into a confident and capable product manager. Product Management Essentials makes learning about product management engaging and approachable, helping you understand complex concepts easily and apply them in real-world situations. Ultimately, it transforms the path to becoming a professional product manager into a structured, enjoyable, and achievable experience. Chintan Udeshi, author of Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know  This blog is written by Chintan Udeshi, author of Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know.  To know more about the book, check out: Vibrant Publishers' New Book Equips Aspiring Product Managers With Must-Have Real-World Skills If this topic piqued your interest, you might also like the following:Top 4 Must-Have Skills to Become a Successful Project ManagerSix Steps To Help You Land Your First Product Management Job

Product management can be simply defined as the process of managing the lifecycle of a product/service. It encompasses planning, developing, launching, and managing the growth of the product/service. Product managers, in collaboration with other teams within an organization, are solely responsible for overseeing the entire process of product management, from the ideation of the products/services to their development and release in the market. Is product management a great career for me? Product management is considered one of the most promising careers in recent years. In addition to its high level of occupational satisfaction, it also comes with high remuneration. Moreover, Product Management is a career that you can switch into from any discipline or role. All you need is subject matter expertise and a few additional skills.  A step-by-step guide to begin your career in Product Management  Many beginners who aspire to become product managers or want to change careers and transition into product management often wonder what steps to take to land their first job. Here is a step-by-step guide for anyone whose ambition is to one day clinch the admirable position of a product manager: STEP 1: Build background knowledge: The very first step is to build your background knowledge. What kind of subject-matter expertise do you have? You'll be intrigued to know that product managers come from different disciplines. Some are engineers whereas some are computer scientists, biologists, educationists, lawyers, and even pharmacists and medical doctors. The course you studied at the university was meant to prepare you to become a subject matter expert. You can now use your background and subject matter expertise to get the role of a product manager in that field. So, if you have studied pharmacy, for example, you can become a product manager at a pharmaceutical company.  STEP 2: Develop your product management skillset: To become a successful product manager, you will need to possess a combination of both hard and soft skills. These include technical and research skills, communication, problem-solving, negotiating, critical thinking, and analytical skills, among others. Product management is a dynamic field, and you will be required to research and design product ideas, analyze data, organize meetings, and clearly communicate your findings with other team members. Without conceptual knowledge and these skill sets, it may be practically difficult to become top-notch.  You can check out various resources available to enhance your skills and upgrade your conceptual knowledge. Take a look at the section “Your ultimate product management resource” at the end of this blog.  STEP 3: Get certified as a product manager: Not many universities globally offer “product management” as a major course. So, whatever course you may have studied, you may still need to get certified as a product manager for value addition. In the United States, some universities, such as Berkeley and Stanford, have about 10- to 12-week product management certification courses. Other independent organizations offer product management certifications, such as Product School, AIPMM, Pragmatic Institute, etc. If you are not in the USA, it is also possible to get certified by your local universities/institutes that offer product management certification courses. STEP 4: Build your product management portfolio: It is time to build your product management portfolio, which is a file that contains relevant examples of work you will be doing if you are hired as a product manager. If you are already a product manager and want to seek an opportunity at another organization, all you need to do is compile the relevant product management projects you have worked on. However, if you are a new entrant into the profession, you may want to provide a hypothetical product management portfolio. This entails that you choose a case study, research it, analyze the outcomes of your research, and present your findings in a vivid and understandable manner. For instance, you may want to produce a hypothetical product management portfolio on how you will solve a technical problem of a tech product, say Apple, Inc.’s iPhone or Microsoft’s Windows. State the product, communicate your solutions to the identified problems, and explain in detail how this can be achieved. When applying for product management jobs, you must include your product management portfolio with your resume to get recruiters’ attention. STEP 5: Establish a solid network in the field: Having made the above-mentioned preparations, it is obvious that you are ready to clinch your first job as a product manager! Surprisingly enough, for every product manager job advertised, there are several other aspiring candidates like you who are anxious to get it. However, the only option that can get you to your dream job quickly is networking with product managers who are already in the field. You can join a local product management group that is open to all certified product managers. Otherwise, you can sign up for membership in one or two product management associations. These associations may offer paid and unpaid memberships. When you interact with professionals who know more about you as far as product management is concerned, you will be properly mentored and advised about how to go about getting your first product management job or transitioning to a better-paying one. One of the secrets in this field is that many of the current product managers were recommended to the positions by other professionals they had networked with. Sometimes, when there are vacancies in some organizations, professionals use their networks to find good and knowledgeable people to fill those jobs, which means they won’t advertise them at all.  STEP 6: Apply and get your first product management job: After applying to some product management job adverts or being recommended by one of your networks, you are on your way to getting your first product management job. When this happens, the clock starts ticking for you to develop yourself as an all-rounder product management professional. There are a lot of new things to learn on the job. If you are transferring from one department in your organization to the product management department, you can utilize your existing knowledge to perform brilliantly in your new position. Your ultimate product management resource To learn more about product management and how you can master it, check out my recent publication, Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know! This book contains all the necessary, helpful information you will ever require as a beginner or an entry-level product manager. As a career-long guide, you will find all the practical steps you will need to master every area of product management in Product Management Essentials, equipping yourself with essential pieces of information that will eventually help you become a successful product management professional. Book cover of Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know This blog has been written by Chintan Udeshi, the author of Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know. Chintan Udeshi, author of Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know Also ReadFour management skills you can ace while you are at homeTop Tips for Cracking Your First Job Interview3 Top Ways to Pick Books for Career Growth Learn more about the book Product Management Essentials here: Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to KnowVibrant Publishers' New Book Equips Aspiring Product Managers With Must-Have Real-World Skills