{"id":7180,"date":"2019-10-01T10:31:31","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T14:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=7180"},"modified":"2021-01-28T16:54:55","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T21:54:55","slug":"what-does-a-product-manager-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/what-does-a-product-manager-do","title":{"rendered":"What Does a Product Manager Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the name suggests, a Product Manager (PM) is responsible for overseeing product development from conception to completion. They help figure out what products should get made, ensure that they do get made, and report back on how users are responding to those products.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of <\/span>digital <\/span><\/i>product management, PMs are the glue that holds together the user experience, the technical requirements, and the business requirements of a product. Mind the Product co-founder <\/span>Martin Erikkson has described them<\/span> as \u201cthe unsung heroes of the tech world.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly, PMs can be very well compensated: Indeed claims the average salary for a Product Manager is just over $100,000, while Glassdoor puts it at roughly $$113,000.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"product
Erikkson, 2011<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is Product Management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

More than ever before, savvy product management<\/a> can have a huge impact on company success. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the digital product world of tremendous consumer choice, low switching costs, social sharing, ratings, reviews, and recommendations, making great products matters more than ever to keep a user\u2019s attention,\u201d <\/span>says Brett Tworetzsky, SVP Product at InVision<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the scope of product management, consider the maturity of the company. If it\u2019s an early-stage start-up, a PM will likely be responsible for everything required to get the product out the door, from research to QA to writing up release notes. If the company is seasoned or multinational, there will be many PMs working on a narrower band of the product\u2019s development. Some PMs, for example, may specialize in collecting and analyzing user feedback while others will facilitate the technical development of the product. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Product Manager\u2019s degree of decision-making power also depends on the size and culture of the company. In large tech firms, executives typically decide what products get made, while PMs are in charge of the user research and execution phases.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does a Product Manager do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In a nutshell, they \u201cown the Job-to-be-Done,\u201d <\/span>as Geoffrey Keating puts it<\/span><\/a>. PMs are passionate about understanding their users\u2019 problems and needs, and they rely on a deep user experience understanding when working with their research, technical, and marketing teams. PMs also cultivate a comprehensive understanding of the product\u2019s strengths and weaknesses, always maintaining a desire for improvement. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This role has both internal-facing and external-facing aspects, and requires a mix of:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n