Comments on: You do what? I am a Product Manager!

By: Tom the Web PM

Tom the Web PM — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 21:29:40 +0000

Oh yes, I have heard this question quite often! Even now 2 years after this post it still seems to be a kind of exotic job – the Product Manager…

cheers,
Tom

By: Swish

Swish — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:58:26 +0000

Steve,

I would be interested. I have done PM for the past 7/8 years, and recently moved to Orlando.

Let me know if can help.

- Pete Swisher

By: Steve Norman

Steve Norman — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:34:56 +0000

I teach product management in Orlando and am looking for a guest speaker for my class. The subject would be a general overview of the work, how lucrative it can be, good things, not so good things, etc.

Anyone interested?

Thanks,
Steve

By: The Marketing Technology Blog

The Marketing Technology Blog — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:59:41 +0000

Product Management: Silence is Success that often goes Unmeasured…

Being a Product Manager for an Inc 500 SaaS company has been both fulfilling and incredibly challenging.
I was asked once if there was another position in the company I would like to have… honestly, there is no better position than Product Mana…

By: Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:25:21 +0000

I’d like to get my work to understand what it is, first! Our internal dev team seems to think we’re internal consultants… as long as they agree, we move in that direction.

Product Management can lead to Director of Product Management, Product Marketing, Director of Technology, Director of Usability, Director of Accessibility, Director of Solutions, Director of Integration… I think there are plenty of opportunities to shift both laterally or be advanced.

By: Pete Swisher

Pete Swisher — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:29:56 +0000

Noah, this is an excellent post and discussion.

The thing about Product Management is that even the perfect description of the job is still vague to anyone outside the technology business. My family and friends still don’t know what I’ve done for the past 8 years. I also find that most software companies, especially those outside of Silicon Valley and Alley don’t know what a PM is. I’m experiencing that issue in my recent relo to Orlando, FL.

I’m curious as to what other PMs transition into.. In other words, if you find there aren’t a lot of good PM jobs, what else do you do? Biz Dev? Marketing Mgmt? CEO of a startup? What else have others done?

- Swish

By: Doug Karr

Doug Karr — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 17:35:28 +0000

Mike – thanks so much. Noah, what an awesome conversation you’ve started here! Wow! Product Managers are an optimistic, evangelistic, lively bunch, aren’t we?

I would really appreciate any books, tips, internal docs (that can be shared) that any of you might have on this subject matter! My email address is doug [-at+] douglaskarr | com.

Regards,
Doug

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 15:04:17 +0000

Good stuff Will. I’ll need to forward this to my parents who still don’t understand what I do (I’m also a Product Manager).

@Doug Carr
I have to agree with you on your point . It just doesn’t make sense to document every last cosmetic or usability feature. In my organization we have certain standing requirements that don’t need to be documented – the order that things should sort in, how/when audit events should be created, how certain types of pages – e.g. forms – should look, etc. We document those requirements once and they serve as standing requirements for every release going forward.

By: newsmotto! » Product Manager’s Role

newsmotto! » Product Manager’s Role — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:04:09 +0000

[...] Noah Kagan and Will Kern discuss product manager’s role: Act as the CEO of the product – just like a CEO drives the vision of their company and the ultimate success or failure of the company, you too drive the vision and success or failure of your product. After all, it is your product, so own it! Sweat the small stuff (and of course the big stuff too) – you must understand every aspect of the product, from company goals and objectives for the product, the market in which you are playing, who your competition is, as well as recognizing what you do not know. It is an absolute must that you can conjure up this information at the drop of a hat; you never know when you are going to need it. Produce clearly defined product requirements – OK, this will go a long way in winning you brownie points with your development team. Make sure you clearly articulate what you want the product to be (in writing or course). Otherwise you may find yourself in the situation of wanting to build a car, describing a motorcycle and getting a tricycle (get the point, be very, very clear on what it is you want). Customers First – remember, your customers will make or break your product. If you do not build what they love, embrace and cannot live without, your probability for success will dramatically decrease. Listen to them, take their feedback and incorporate it into the product. You will thank yourself later for listening to them. Jack of all trades, master of ….. ALL – so you are going to be the CEO of your product, but you need certain skills to navigate the waters. First and foremost, you need to be extremely disciplined in everything you do. You need to possess great time management and have a knack for identifying what is important, prioritizing those things, and executing on them. [...]

By: Will

Will — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 15:47:32 +0000

haha, that’s a funny one. You would be surprised at the anagrams that are thrown around my work. See if you have heard of or can figure out these: SWAG, UGC, PRD, TRD, UI…. the list goes on and on, it is maddening sometimes!