A product manager is the person who identifies the customer need and the larger business objectives that a product or feature will fulfill, articulates what success looks like for a product, and rallies a team to turn that vision into a reality. After 10 years of studying the craft of product management, I’ve developed a deep understanding of what it means to be a product manager.
The confusion about what a product manager is likely stems from the recency of the role.
Product Manager Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities vary depending on the size of the organization. In larger organizations, for instance, product managers are embedded within teams of specialists. Researchers, analysts, and marketers help gather input, while developers and designers manage the day-to-day execution, draw up designs, test prototypes, and find bugs.
These product managers have more help, but they also spend more time aligning these stakeholders behind a specific vision.
On the flip side, product managers at smaller organizations spend less time getting everyone to agree, but more time doing the hands-on work that comes with defining a vision and seeing it through.
What is The Qualification Required to Become a Product Manager ?
Product managers usually have a degree in technical fields such as engineering and computer sciences, an MBA and a complementary certification within product management. One can also target a product management job through non-tech areas by networking within the firms seeking their expertise.
You'll learn about negotiation, marketing, customer research and psychology, and people skills — all of which are essential for product management.
What are top skills for a product manager?
Some of the top skills for a product manager are
Technical expertise - Whether a product manager has “technical” in their job title is largely semantic and company-dependant; there are plenty of “regular” product managers that were originally coders or possess technical degrees, while there are occasionally technical product managers lacking a particularly technical background.
An understanding of UX - UX is short for User Experience Design, and it can be defined as the branch of design that creates easy-to-use and delightful products that focus on the user's needs. UX is very important to all Product Managers because it is a key component of the 4 pillars of Product Leadership.
Business savvy - Business savvy, or business acumen, is a term that describes someone who has significant knowledge and expertise in matters of business. You might describe someone as business savvy if they show a particular proficiency in creating or growing businesses, handling business deals or coaching businesses to success.
So its is important for a Product Manager to be Business Savvy.
Critical thinking - Critical thinking is a kind of thinking in which you question, analyse, interpret, evaluate and make a judgement about what you read, hear, say, or write. The term critical comes from the Greek word kritikos meaning “able to judge or discern”.
it involves evaluating arguments, identifying and solving problems in an objective and systematic way, and clearly communicating your ideas.
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The ability to analyze and interpret data - Data analysis and interpretation, regardless of the method and qualitative/quantitative status, may include the following characteristics: Data identification and explanation. Comparing and contrasting of data. Identification of data outliers.
Research skills - Research skills as product manager are the capability a person carries to create new concepts and understandings the use of data collection.
These skills include techniques, documentation, and interpretation of the collected data. Research is conducted to evaluate hypotheses and share the findings in the most suitable ways.
Problem-solving - A good product manager is able to solve the right problem and also solve the problem right. Product managers who focus just on the second part of the statement have, what I call, a solution-first mindset. PMs with this mindset will churn out a bunch of features but will rarely create long term impact.
The ability to prioritize - Prioritization is an important responsibility of the product manager at the stage of roadmap preparation. The objectives, aims, and activities must range from the most to the least important. When the strategy is ready, the product manager has to communicate it to the product team and the stakeholders.
What is Pay Scale for Product Manager in India ?
Average starting Salary for Product Manager in India is around ₹5.2 Lakhs per year (₹43.3k per month). 2 years of minimum experience is required to be a Product Manager.
Product Manager salary in India ranges between ₹ 5.2 Lakhs to ₹ 35.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 16.0 Lakhs.
Senior Product Manager salary in India ranges between ₹ 9.5 Lakhs to ₹ 60.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 27.5 Lakhs. Salary estimates are based on 7k latest salaries received from Senior Product Managers.
Is product manager a high level role?
Product managers are mid-level roles. While you don't necessarily have to have a direct product management background, you should have professional experience and demonstrable skills in communication, leadership, and strategy. Product managers are responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and features of a product.
A Chief Product Officer (CPO) is the most senior product person in an organisation. They usually manage more than one team of product managers and represent product in the C-suite or management team.
How do you Become A Product Manager ?
Product managers usually have a degree in technical fields such as engineering and computer sciences, an MBA and a complementary certification within product management.
One can also target a product management job through non-tech areas by networking within the firms seeking their expertise.
Some other skills or points to become a product manager are
How do you become a product manager role?
1. Seek a learning opportunity in your current role. This is one of the quickest ways to earn valuable experience for a future PM role.
2.Meet real product managers to build your network.
3.Learn a PM mindset by reading books and blogs.
4.Earn a degree or certification.
Can someone be a product manager with no experience?
It is very hard to find a Product management position without having any experience, it's a complex role with a lot of responsibilities and not every team can afford hiring someone without any experience and training them. But while it is hard, it's not impossible.
Steps to Become a Product Manager (Even Without Experience)
1. Understanding Key Skills. In order to find success in the field, aspiring product managers must first understand the key skills that consistently define success in the role.
2.Obtain an Education.
3.Test Your Skills.
4.Gain Certification.
5.Seek Employment.
3 Key Takeaways for Product Manager.
1. Strong product managers spend time doing primary and secondary research on their market, customers, and competitors. They are able to describe how their product solves the business need in detail and how it is different from other products and solutions.
2. Strong product managers not only understand the big picture but also don’t lose sight of the details. They are able to engage an audience with both short and crisp highlights as well as do deep dives.
3. Strong product managers simulate the lives of different Personas to understand their real needs and not just base their requirements on some reading and hearsay.
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