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What is product management?

Watch the video to learn more about product management and read some definitions of product management from experts in the field.

So, what is product management? In this video, Steve and Chantal talk about their definitions.


Let’s think back to the definition of a product we learned in the previous step. A product is a thing that helps meet a user need in a way that creates value for the organisation and allows them to achieve their intended outcome.

Product management is the process of creating, supporting, maintaining, improving, and, when the time comes, retiring a viable product.

In the next step, we will look at what product managers do. First, let’s find out how various experts in the business world define product management. These people do not work in government, but it is useful to know the difference between product management in government and in the private sector.


Definitions of product management

Marty Cagan is an author and the founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group. He was an early product manager at eBay and is known for his views on technology and product management. He says that, ‘the job of the product manager is to identify the minimal possible product that meets the objectives – valuable, usable and feasible – while minimising time to market and user complexity.’

According to Melissa Peri, another product management guru, there is a ‘core question behind great product management: are we building a valuable product?’

Author and product management expert Martin Eriksson says, ‘I’ve always defined product management as the intersection between business, technology and user experience (UX).’

Martin also created a diagram to illustrate this. It visually represents the fact that you, as a product manager, are at the intersection of different groups, and it is your job to balance them.

A Venn diagram of 3 circles labelled as 'UX' (the shorthand way of saying User Experience), 'Tech' and 'Business' and an arrow pointing to the central shared intersection, saying ‘you are here.’

Image credit: Martin Eriksson, 2011

This diagram shows that product management is not a static role. Though you are at the intersection of these sectors, your focus can change. You can often find yourself having to prioritise different areas involved in creating and maintaining products. Sometimes these areas can be in conflict – the product manager needs to be able to balance them and find a solution.

Martin’s diagram is also relevant for product managers working in government: business is the policy or the departmental driver. The business of government is not commercial, but teams building products or services for the government still need to find the balance between competing priorities. For example, a user need and a policy need might end up in conflict.

Des Traynor, the co-founder and chief strategist at Intercom, says this:

“I’m always surprised that so many people want to be product managers… There’s a lot of spreadsheets, wireframes, Google Docs, emails, and oh-so-many Slack channels. But I think if the role was titled ‘direction and consensus manager’, you might not get as many applicants.”


Task

Think about the context in which you work – your current role in your team or organisation. What is your definition of product management? Do you agree with the expert definitions we included here? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Introduction to Product Management

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