Product manager needs to have the qualities

Many people are yearning for the role of product manager, and even designers, programmers, BD, have the idea of ​​doing the product manager. I have been doing technology for so many years, although the titles are all technology-related, but the basic are from the product point of view to think about the implementation of the technology. Just recently, we are considering planning a social product design, from my point of view, I know the product manager's position.

For many small companies, "product manager" is just a display

I understand this "great product":

1, the product itself, have a good market positioning, users, and prospects;

2, the user of the product, a high degree of user acceptance;

3, the product market, there are clever means;

Let me talk about a story first.

A friend, a product manager, a few months ago, their company developed a product, pilot promotion in Qingdao, was talking to me about the definition of the product and the market, users and promotion, I feel his attitude is very optimistic, give me The direct signal is that this should be an "excellent product." In the following month, he called me with a very pessimistic attitude. He said the product market did not respond well. After another two months, he went to Beijing and called me to talk about this product. He said Into the financing state, I feel he is very optimistic, I thought he made great improvements to the product, the result chatting only know that the product did not improve, but their shareholders have financing channels.

Through his change of attitude toward this product, it is certain that he does not have the right to control this product.

First of all, the product feedback in Qingdao market is not good, then as a product manager has full responsibility, it is something that can not shirk. Product managers need to make forward-looking market products, market failure, it is likely product positioning problems, or do not grasp the exact timing of the launch. After the problem should be the first time to correct product positioning rather than to finance. In fact, I understand that their product positioning is entirely determined by the boss, the market timing and strategy is also decided by the boss. Some domestic small enterprises, a common phenomenon, is that the responsibility is not clear. If a link fails, it will not make a deep understanding and learn from it. Instead, it will shirk its responsibility to other departments and other people and it will gradually disappear.

Second, there is a financing channel, can only say that the company has a potential source of funding, which has nothing to do with the product itself, product positioning has not changed, the design of the product itself has not changed, the product has always been there, how is it possible With financing means that the product has the hope, it is almost like a group of people playing the same.

We chatted, he also revealed that the product is entirely by his boss alone said. In other words, product manager, but this position is a display.

Product manager's role

The role of the product manager is very complex. On the one hand, each company defines the position of the product manager differently. On the other hand, the most fundamental reason is that the position of the product manager needs to cross multiple fields. Generally speaking, all the products Involved:

The emergence of products - business part;

User direct contact - user experience part;

Product development and implementation - the technical part;

Product managers are not necessarily experts in these three areas, but at least be familiar with these three areas, or it is difficult to control a good product. Creating a great product is not an easy task, requiring product managers to have good market judgment and control and the pursuit of perfection.

"Product Manager" is the cradle of "General Manager."

My point is that product managers need a very comprehensive quality that basically covers the entire corporate department. In fact, product managers are "worries":

Understand the industry, understand the industry's users (and even need to be an expert in this industry). Any product is not out of thin air, are deeply dependent on the background of his industry development, your awareness of this area, as well as forward-looking, have decided the fate of your product.

Controlled, controlled teamwork, and communication with other departments.

In a limited time and resources under the premise of product and market trade-offs (friends working in Japanese enterprises, have heard a word called "play"). Can not shirk its responsibility to other departments, do not rely on the success of other links (this is the phenomenon I have seen the most, once the market failed, the company's various departments within the infinite loop shirk its responsibility, the product manager to blame the technology and design responsibility, is the most common of)

Specifically, product managers need the following qualities:

First, the product manager has a high degree of insight and predictability, not just an Idea

I think as long as the normal person, there will be a variety of ideas and ideas, this does not show how smart and flexible he is, step by step, even if this person's ideas are accepted by others, it does not necessarily explain the idea of ​​a market The value may not necessarily derive a good product from the idea, because each person's knowledge, experience limited, the idea of ​​running to a small number of people get recognized does not explain too many problems.

The greatness of Steve Jobs, to a large extent, is his predictability. He can accurately judge the development of the PC in the next 10 years and accurately predict the future of the Internet. This is the key to the success of the product.

For example, the prediction of mobile Internet, 2014 is certainly a year of mobile Internet outbreak, the field of mobile payment, O2O, mobile office will have rapid development. More than a year ago, some non-IT people would not get Android phones or normal phenomenon. Now taxi drivers on the street will not pay by mobile if they do not use taxi software, Has been ridiculed by peers. If the product manager can not predict the future market changes, it will miss the opportunity, either be peer killed, or abandoned by the user.

Second, the product manager to understand the user, or even exposure to customer service

I am here to tell a story, I told this story many times.

I have led the team to develop a mall platform, their users are the shops that repair the phone on the street, and later we plan to provide more services for the merchants. I would like to imagine if we can design a dedicated page for each repair shop. Through SEO optimization, They bring cellphone clients online. As a result, we conducted a survey in their forums in advance. One of the customers' feedback touched me. He said, "People who use the Internet to search and will not be able to repair their cell phones." Immediately I realized that I had no problem with these repair shops Not enough understanding, in fact, they face the customer base is often the majority of migrant workers.

I've seen companies that do in-car navigation statistics. When they are making products, they need to work with the driver's master to keep up with the products and even go out at night. In this regard, I think the product manager's job is very hard, on the contrary, those who really exist product manager, disdain for the bottom of the work, there is always a sense of superiority, every day the dream of office design great products, think strategizing winning miles Control is the only reason he wants to become a product manager, so a product manager has no chance of making a good product.

Third, yes, the definition of the button is not the designer's decision, this is the product manager's job

The domestic team that specializes in creating user experience, commonly referred to as UEDs, was first seen in Alibaba, where foreign companies are generally UX, design teams have the closest contact with the product user experience, UI and UEs, and some of their work Professional methods, product managers have to understand, otherwise there is no way to convert the user needs to design interactive language.

If you do not set a scene for the designer, then the designer has a hundred reasons to make a hundred button designs, which are all passively designed. Product manager is the design of the scene, the movie "Inception", the dream designer (Architect) will set the dream for the dreamer, dreamer design based on the dream, otherwise, the dreamer can really do a dream It's

If it is an Internet product, a button, the background color, in fact, depends on the product user's specific background, his geographical background, the Internet cultural background, etc., and these are not the designer's responsibility.

We made a platform for mobile Internet in Southeast Asia two years ago. At that time, the designer was my friend. Because this is a Startup, we have limited staff. While my friend is designing, he is also a part of the product manager , Such as Southeast Asia more like beautiful color style, then the whole product will reflect this feature.

So, if the user feels ugly product appearance, do not shirk the responsibility to the designer.

Fourth, product managers abstract the business entity into a product model is the most difficult model

I think this link is the most difficult to control. In general, each company may have its own set of methodologies, and more are based on the nature of the product and the company's habits to develop, it is difficult to sort out a common method.

For example, you want to design an iPad sales display system to the sales office to use, you may want to take into account the dual users, sales staff and buyers, buyers are more concerned about the location, the actual model room pictures, prices, transportation, discount , While the sales staff are more concerned about the convenience, recorded directly on the iPad buyers information, property buyers on the satisfaction of this real estate, it is necessary to call back after some time. Then the combination of these indicators, consider the product design to give priority to reflect which part of the prominent position.

Fifth, product managers want to create personal charisma in the team

Since you are not an expert in those three fields, why do people trust you? This may require you to have a personal charisma (if you are handsome enough to be an advantage), and to build on your strength to be part of the team, Like Zhang Wuji in the novel, it would be hard to convince the public if it does not make a big move from the power of heaven and earth, and do not expect to see four women around him.

Sixth, product managers need to have a strong desire to control, to some extent, those who "obsessive-compulsive disorder", "paranoid" is more suitable for product manager

If you're stuck with the company, afraid to talk to your superiors, afraid to talk "NO" to other departments, and not to fight for a pixel and coworkers, it's hard to build a great product.

In this regard, Jobs is as paranoid as the outside world, and I quite agree with his approach, as he told him in an interview with The lost interview: The great man does not care about self-esteem. Everyone is paying attention. Focus on the product, after all, is the most effective way of working.

In the same way, in some enterprises, it is imperative to speak with caution. E-mail should be worded in words and can not offend others. It is only in this way that companies can only honestly mix and match wage points.

In fact, for product control, I prefer engineers to decide that Facebook is a typical engineer-driven product because of the avoidance of many handovers (if you pass user feedback to an engineer through a product manager, you lose A lot of information), and then one is, after all, the existence of the product and the technology is too close. If you want engineers to drive your product, you need engineers with the quality of product manager.

After reading these, do you think you are a good product manager? Or do you want to be a product manager?