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Product Manager
Have you ever considered who is behind the digital products you touch daily - the app on your phone, the game or song you play, or even a feature such as the ‘Like’ button or ‘Share’ on your favorite social platform?
There is a team of people behind every one of these products. Someone designed it for you to use easily (a team of UX Designers) and built it to operate the way you want it to when you click (Software Developers). Another team put systems in place to ensure your identity is secure when entering your username and password (Data and Cybersecurity Analysts). A team of Digital Marketers worked behind the scenes to bring this product or feature to your attention. And these are just a few professionals whose talent brings you the digital products you use daily.
Each new game, song, app, or feature has a team of people who worked to bring this to you. Coordinating all the work involved is a Product Manager who steers the product to your screen. The work of the Product Manager isn’t visible to you, but they are the glue between teams that bring a new product or feature from idea to (virtual) reality.
Do you like - planning, organizing, and even leading teams?
Would you like a job working with people and figuring out human behavior?
Are you interested in business and marketing?
Understand the Business
Product Managers are a linchpin connecting teams within a large company.
They can focus on the entire life cycle of a product - from an idea on the back of an envelope to a product on the market. Along the way, Product Managers work closely with teams of designers, marketers, software developers, data analysts, business analysts - everyone who plays a role in the product’s development.
The Product Manager’s job is to direct all the work to deliver the product. They do this by coordinating among teams and balancing what customers want, what the software team can develop, and the budget it will take to build. Product Managers need a keen understanding of marketing and business analytics as well as some technical skills to understand the architecture and development side of a new digital product.
Are Product Managers and Project Managers the same?
Product Managers (PMs) and Project Managers (PJMs) have different roles. Product Managers (PMs) manage the timeline and resources to ensure the project is completed within the scope and budget. The Product Manager (PM) sets the strategic vision for the product and interacts with company leadership and experts outside the company who understand the market. They may do most of the internal day-to-day coordination with teams. Project Managers (PJMs) will work alongside PMs and may be brought in to keep it on track of specific parts of the project journey. In general, PMs have more technical knowledge than PJMs, who tend to work more generally on any type of project.
Learn more about what a Product Manager does:
Ashley, a Product Manager who has worked on Marvel products, explains what you need to know to become a PM
Chloe, breaks down what a Product Manager does in this fast-paced video
"Ashley Product Manager"
Want to try it out now?
Try out a sample of the kind of work that a Product Manager does. You’ll learn to use a Product Requirement Document (PRD), a common planning tool for most PMs.
Let’s start with an example of a physical product rather than a digital product. Suppose you’re the Product Manager in charge of ensuring there are plenty of cupcakes for sale at a school event or street fair. Use this Product Requirements Document template to manage your imagined product.
Product Requirements Document
6 dozen gourmet cupcakes with unique flavors
6 dozen gourmet cupcakes with unique flavors
Name of Baker
Specialty Cupcake
e.g. peppermint chocolate chip
Ingredients
Note any potential allergic ingredients
Number of cupcakes to be delivered
You will need to coordinate to market and sell the cupcakes.
How will you capture data about which cupcakes are sold first to plan for future events
How does each baker intend to package the cupcakes? What words will be used to describe each specialty cupcake?
The Product Manager will ensure that the cupcakes are fresh at the time of the event
Develop a detailed timeline for ensuring that each baker will deliver on time
You will need to coordinate to market and sell the cupcakes.
The Product Manager will ensure that the company can make a profit from selling the cupcakes at the event. They need to calculate:
How much does each baker charge? Are there discounts if they make more?
How much will each cupcake sell for? Will some flavors cost more than others?
What other expenses are involved? EG. The fee to rent a booth at the fair.
What is the overall estimated cost per cupcake?
What is the expected profit?
Product Managers always try to plan in advance:
What assumptions are you making about the demand for cupcakes?
What risks do you need to be aware of, and how will you plan around them?
From this example of selling cupcakes, you can see some of the items a Product Manager has to consider. Now follow an example of how a Product Manager delivers a digital product.
Let’s visualize that you work for a large company that produces Fitness equipment, and you’ve been assigned as the Product Manager for a new app for home workouts that the company is developing. You are responsible for every aspect of the new app - from the design, development, marketing, and sales. The company CEO will look to you to see whether this product is being used and is a profitable line for the company.
These are the steps a Product Manager will oversee - try thinking them through yourself:
Customer Journey - Who could use the new fitness app? Visualize your customer’s steps when they’re using the product.
Product Comparison - What other fitness apps are there? How are they similar or different? Describe the unique benefits of your new fitness app.
Brainstorm Product ideas - list all potential features in this new fitness app
Feature Prioritization - which features will be most attractive to users, especially considering those that are not present in other products
Develop a Product Requirements Document - this will have essential features that the technical teams will use to design and build the app
Product Roadmap - this is the direction document that will be used to track the progress towards delivery of the new app, including key decisions that will need to be made along the way
Learn Some Tech Tools
Product Managers use software to track their work. You can start your journey as a Product Manager by becoming familiar with some common software. Play around on your own to get good at using these professional tools:
Sign up for a free 30 day trial or if you use Google Sheets there is a free Gantt Chart template
You can sign up for a free 30 day trial to try out this software
Career Paths
The demand for Product Managers is growing, especially in the technology and e-commerce sectors. The projected growth for these types of roles is 9% per year between 2022-2023, which is much faster than the average tech role. The entry level salary can range from $46k to an average of $98k per year according to the US Department of Labor.
Start Anywhere. Go Everywhere.
Having some experience in data analysis and digital marketing can be an asset in this career path. A Product Manager can be a springboard role to and from Data Analyst, Digital Marketing, Business Analyst roles.
Associate Product Manager: Typically requires 0-2 years of experience. Focuses on assisting with market research, data analysis, and supporting senior product managers in decision-making processes.
Product Manager: Usually requires 2-5 years of experience. Responsible for overseeing a product's development, marketing, and performance, including defining product vision and strategy.
Senior Product Manager: Generally needs 5-8 years of experience. Involves leading and mentoring product teams, managing multiple products, and contributing to strategic decisions at a higher level.
Director of Product Management: Requires 8-12 years of experience. Focuses on high-level strategic planning, cross-functional leadership, and driving the product vision across the organization.
Vice President (VP) of Product: More than 12 years of experience is typically needed. Oversees the entire product management function, aligning product strategy with business goals, and often participates in executive decision-making.
Chief Product Officer (CPO): Generally requires 15+ years of experience. The CPO is a top executive responsible for the company's overall product strategy and vision, leading innovation and steering the product teams toward long-term goals.
CEO (Chief Executive Officer): Generally requires 15+ years of experience, although this can vary widely based on the size and nature of the company. The CEO is the highest-ranking executive in a company. They are responsible for making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources of a company, and acting as the main point of communication between the board of directors and corporate operations. The CEO often plays a key role in defining the company's strategy, culture, and performance.
HOW AI PLAYS A ROLE
AI's role in product management is expanding rapidly. As a Product Manager, you'll use AI to gather and analyze vast amounts of market and customer data, which will aid you in creating detailed customer profiles. AI can also help predict customer behavior and market trends, so that you can make informed decisions about product development and marketing strategies. You can also use AI to predict personalized user experiences, leading to higher customer engagement and satisfaction. Understanding and leveraging AI is key to driving innovation and maintaining a competitive edge for your job preparation in this field.
Skills to Pay the Bills
These are the essential skills that you bring to a Product Manager role:
You are a good communicator
You are an influencer; you are good at leading teams
You are well organized and can keep track of data
You have interest in learning about Coding / Programming / AI
Roadmapping software like Gantt, Aha!, etc.
Collaboration tools like Trello, Slac, etc.
Data analytics tools such as Google Analytics
Practice using some of the tools on your own
Consider a bootcamp like General Assembly or Career Foundry - but be sure to research costs and learning format
Start with a free short self-paced online course through a site like Skillshare for example.
The Product School has free podcasts on many aspects of Product Management. It also offers a Product Management certification
Review a Job Description
Job Descriptions are the way a company recruits and hires talent. You can learn a lot from a Job Description about the skills and qualifications you need to prepare for the job. Even if you are not ready to apply for a job now, reading the Job Description can help you prepare for what you need to do after high school.
Job Description
Company Name Withheld | A leading Global Energy Company is hiring an Associate Product Manager.
Responsibilities
Work with the Director of Product and Stakeholders to define product strategy, goals, and metrics
Manage the full product lifecycle from discovery to launch while collaborating with other cross-functional teams: Development, Design, Customer Support, Marketing, and Sales
Gather data, user feedback and collaborate with customer support to drive product decisions with quantitative and qualitative evidence
Execute product strategy through ownership of product roadmaps, epics, user stories, product requirements, sprints, user acceptance criteria, and releases
Work autonomously to gather requirements and complete goals in a timely and organized manner
Effectively prioritize features and tasks to provide the most value for our users and our business
Define, analyze, and report on key measures to track the success of product iterations and releases
Create product documentation and training materials for internal and external users.
What we are looking for
Self-starter attitude with a passion for quality work and a drive to accomplish your goals
Experienced and proficient at writing product requirement documents
A person with the ability to empathize, understand, and define user needs while iterating on solutions
Someone highly skilled in problem-solving, strategic thinking, and organization
A proven ability to lead teams and communicate complex concepts cross-functionally
An understanding that you’ll never have all of the answers, but you have the drive to find them
A team member who embraces challenges and feedback with a growth mindset, knowing that there is always room for improvement
An appreciation for quality and pride in your work that motivates others to feel the same
Nice to have
SaaS (Software as a Service) knowledge or experience
Mobile app development experience
Experience with Google Analytics, Firebase, and Google Tag Manager
Interest in energy alternatives and combating climate change
