With the development of the industry, the group of product managers has received more and more attention in the IT industry, and various product exchange learning organizations have flourished. As one of them, I have always wanted to write about my understanding of the role of product managers.
As the saying goes, a successful man must have a silent woman behind him, so is there a product manager who is dedicated to learning and constantly specializing behind a product? The answer is yes, and it is often not just a product manager supporting a successful product.
It is not uncommon for the industry to summarize the product manager ability model, so I only talk about these capabilities from the level of personal understanding. I personally tend to divide the product manager ability into two parts: A, product ability; B, management ability.
- A. Product capabilities
1. Instrumental capabilities
The product manager is responsible for the product. The corresponding product ability must be the primary ability. Among these specific qualities, the tool ability is also called the basic ability. In the life cycle of a product planning, the most common tools are generally as follows Several kinds: word, ppt, mindmanager, visio, axure, excel.
1. Word, excel and ppt, product managers often need to communicate and coordinate with multiple departments in the process of planning a product, so writing documents to improve communication efficiency becomes an important ability, whether it is writing product requirements documents or market Requirements documents and analysis of post-statistical data need to be proficient in the use of office series files.
2. Mindmanager, as a commonly used brainstorming software, mindmanager facilitates product managers to better sort out product management and logic, and is of great significance for clarifying product ideas, especially when drawing product roadmaps. Its convenient and quick operations can allow product managers to draw The structure and logic are better to show the chart.
3. Visio, as an excellent process software, visio is of great significance for product managers to sort out the internal logic of the product and user operation processes, especially in the process of writing product documents, the user operation flowchart drawn by visio can help engineers better understand The product logic thus implements product development. Visio’s rich plug-ins can also draw ueser cases for users to facilitate product project team personnel to better understand users and guide product design.
4. Axure. In recent years, axure has gradually replaced visio for prototyping with its excellent and interactive capabilities and good operability. Prototyping is an important part of product design, making the use of axure become one of the standard capabilities of product managers. One.
2. The product sense
The word “product sense” comes from the predecessor Guo Ziwei. When I first saw this word, my eyes lit up. The idea I saw at that time was: bingo, this word is the core competence that product managers need in my mind. A good product manager must be sensitive to the product, and this sensitivity comes from a good product sense. Product manager is a comprehensive role, which requires a broad vision and must always pay attention to details, and these are all included in the product sense.
a. Planning ability This is a higher-level ability of a product manager, and a product manager with this ability usually has the characteristics of many thinkers. From the product external system, planning power represents the product manager’s recognition of the entire value market, the layout of the company’s product line, the positioning of its own products, and the development ideas for each product. Of course, for most product managers, the strategic level may not be accessible, especially for large companies, the decision-making level will consider strategy much more than product managers, and product managers in this case Execution is more than thinking about strategy.
b. Design ability The design ability mentioned here does not only refer to the design of product prototypes, but more importantly, whether it can find the best fit according to the company’s strategy and user needs, and plan to meet the company’s commercial needs and meet the market The ability to position and user needs. Including product long-term planning and short-term functional planning belong to the category of design power.
3. Business sense
An excellent product manager must have the vision and ability to pay attention to the entire macro market environment. Although in reality most product managers are still doing many issues at the executive level, the focus on the overall environment may be at the product director or higher leadership level. But for the long-term growth of a product manager, paying attention to the entire big market environment can not only enable the product manager to have a better product vision, but also make the product manager more sensitive in the product design process, and can better understand the product. Long-term planning makes correct judgments.
- B. Management ability
1. Self-management ability
If you use football to metaphor the role of each link in the product, the product manager should be the most suitable midfielder. In a game, the midfielder plays a central role in organizing offense and coordinating defense. As a coordinating role, the product manager needs to coordinate various roles including BD, marketing, and sales in the front, and organize and coordinate UED and procedures in the rear. In addition, he must accept the accusations and doubts from users. The pressure can be imagined. Therefore, in terms of personal qualities, a product manager who is good at regulating emotions and able to release himself can stand the test.
2. Time management ability
Product managers play a core role in the entire product life cycle, and because they need to coordinate different departments according to different needs at all times, product managers are always the most active product roles. They have to deal with external issues and always keep an eye on product design. Whether to have a good work arrangement and coordination ability is of great significance for the product manager to complete the work normally. The product manager is most afraid of getting into endless wrangling with various departments and being tired of taking into account the core design work of the product.
3. Knowledge management ability
The rapid change is the best description for the Internet industry. If you do not pay attention to the market and pay attention to new technologies, you may find that you can no longer keep up with the needs of the times when you wake up one day. For product managers, good learning ability will be the basis for maintaining innovative vitality. In the face of constant new technologies and new products, product managers should not be stunned, but should take it for granted. Secondly, product managers themselves are a comprehensive role, for market research, User research, product planning, development technology, brand management, project management, psychology, and design science must all be covered. Only with comprehensive ability can we stand in the communication of various departments with ease.
4. Product management capabilities
The product manager must be responsible for the entire product life cycle, coordinate various resources from the preliminary product planning for development, design and development, and follow up the product launch. After the product goes online, the product manager must pay attention to the operation and promotion, so as to coordinate the work of different departments. Colleagues must always pay attention to the needs of all parties and the new changes in the market in order to arrange the iterative update of the product. A product manager is both a father and a mother for a product.
5. Team management ability
1. Communication ability. Product managers must rely on technology and UED departments to achieve requirements. Therefore, good unauthorised leadership becomes the main condition for completing the work. Therefore, the product manager must be a dynamic role. Only in this way can the investment of various departments be mobilized. Product design and development, thus forming a core product project team, product managers cannot work alone.
2. Execution ability The execution ability of a product manager not only refers to the work situation within the individual’s scope, but also includes coordination procedures and the ability of the UED department to work. Of course, this must depend on good communication skills.
3. In addition, the product manager must also shoulder a certain product team training ability, so that the product echelon has a benign relay effect, so that the talent must be absent and the project cannot be completed normally.
