My extensive experience as a product manager at Google, Microsoft, and Asana has afforded me a comprehensive perspective on the critical aspects of this role. One key insight that stands out for me is that a product manager’s responsibilities may differ significantly between organisations, resulting in a constantly evolving and highly adaptable job description.
The success of a Product Manager, regardless of organisation or experience level, depends on the ability to develop and implement key core competencies. To excel in this role, one must master the following five skills: 1. Understanding and analysing the customer journey, and developing comprehensive customer insights; 2. Creating a solid product vision and strategy; 3. Efficiently managing the product’s lifespan; 4. Building meaningful collaborations with team members and stakeholders; and 5. Effectively driving product delivery and achieving desired results. By adeptly incorporating these skills into their daily work, Product Managers can guarantee personal success and maximise the value of the products and services they offer.
Are you looking to enhance your product management knowledge? Check out the Project Management Checklist.
Setting clear objectives and prioritising them
Can you define the ultimate goal for your product? What does “success” mean to you and your team? Are all team members aligned in their expectations and motivations?
Throughout the product life cycle, starting from the initial research stages to the final feedback stages, product managers must continuously ask themselves important questions to ensure success. It is crucial to establish and regularly reassess clear objectives not only for the product, but also for the entire team’s goals. Organising meetings and developing plans that prioritise the achievement of targets is a key element in accomplishing success.Secure early agreement on your hypotheses.
Do our intended investments in product capabilities for the next two quarters align with our customers’ needs? Are we confident that our product will be used as expected and achieve our desired objectives?
It is crucial to verify the feasibility of ideas before committing significant resources to them. As a Product Manager, promoting productivity requires the ability to assess assumptions quickly and effectively. Consulting with a few users and soliciting their feedback can often prove to be invaluable in this regard.Studying successful products can inspire new ideas.
Product teardowns, a thorough analysis of a product’s components and functions, can be an effective method of identifying strengths and weaknesses. This process can provide insights into a product’s construction, composition, and performance.
It is crucial to expand our perspective beyond direct industry competitors and gather inspiration from other sources. We must develop the habit of evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of any noteworthy ideas, concepts, or products. Focusing only on a product’s shortcomings is not beneficial; it is important to also identify its positive attributes.Develop your plan like a charcuterie board.
The most effective product managers recognise the significance of creating a balanced portfolio to achieve their product goals. To accomplish their objectives within the given timelines, they focus on multiple metrics, such as customer acquisition and satisfaction, expanding existing features, and maintaining a manageable codebase to prevent lengthy development cycles. Prioritising tasks and goals using ranked lists can be beneficial as long as they all serve the same ultimate objective.
This technique enables informed decisions on the allocation of resources, ensuring that no single strategy becomes overly dominant. Creating a charcuterie board as a metaphor for developing a plan can articulate this concept. Just as a diverse selection of meats and cheeses is crucial in a charcuterie board to avoid monotony, including a variety of approaches is necessary while developing a plan.Address the underlying issues behind sales inquiries.
As a Product Manager, it is your responsibility to identify the real problem behind requests for new features or changes to existing ones made by consumers or executives. Although customers and executives may suggest specific solutions or capabilities they desire, it is up to the product manager to scrutinise these proposals to unearth the underlying issue that requires attention.
As a Product Manager, it is crucial to consider the root cause rather than merely focusing on the customer’s request. For example, the Head of Sales may have requested the export of data to spreadsheets, but that may not be the most effective approach for meeting their needs. The product manager must identify the deeper needs the product is currently failing to address and explore alternative solutions that can offer a more comprehensive approach. By delving beyond surface-level issues and understanding the complete scope of customer needs, the product manager can ensure the best solution is implemented.
