Is there a specific industry in product management?

After I combed the company's products, Liu and I each identified their own tasks, I put him in charge of the company's a product line, and I am responsible for the company's V product line, in addition Zhou temporarily responsible for M product line, but in name, Zhou also responsible for a product line, in fact, the M product line is the company in July only to set up , so far there is no specific product, in fact, it belongs to the kind of nominal do not work.

Finally, there is one I product line, after a lot of discussion within us, it is agreed that, regardless of experience, or the ability, or the appearance, all think should be by my temporary control, God, I have only heard that the greater the ability, then the responsibility is greater, but never heard of the better appearance, then the more things work.

Fortunately, I was only a temporary responsibility, and in this product line product is not much, as long as the right person to come in then I can hand over.

The company is absolutely impossible to wait until you have everything ready to let you go to work, so we are now to do side change and then perfect.

Zhou based on some of the ideas that I talked to him about product management. Design an internal workflow show us, although relatively simple, but can be seen Zhou still a lot of kung fu, especially for a product management only to hear the name, no product management of the real people, to tinker with such a good process is really difficult.

But Liu looked, but shook his head and said: "I think this process has a problem, the software industry or the IT industry should not be such, this is the traditional industry product management process." ”

Liu This person anything is good, is what to say, if do not say out, than buckle his one months salary still uncomfortable.

Then look at the Zhou, face "swish" on the red, originally, in accordance with his current knowledge of product management, to fool a layman than he is still a good line, but once and how many of the product management work to chat, the outcome of the present, do not encounter problems, once encountered problems, Zhou must not be met.

At this time, the product of the deputy manager of a responsibility should be reflected: to assist the Department to lead the resolution of the Department of problems.

Now there are problems with Zhou, of course, I need to help solve the problem.

"Liu, this process is Zhou and I communicate after the design, how do you think this process is not suitable for our software industry?" I hastened to Zhou to rescue, let Liu directly point to me questioning.

In fact, I understand the meaning of Liu, he is not aimed at Zhou, just want to tell us product management is industry differences.

In fact, this is not the first time I heard that some enterprises are always accustomed to use their own industry standards to evaluate other industries, so that product management in different industries are fundamentally different conclusions, this understanding through the actual work and passed to the product manager, therefore, Many product managers have the idea that product managers can vary greatly from one industry to another.

There is no doubt that Liu is also based on this understanding to see the Zhou design of this process.

"I think product managers need to classify, traditional industry product managers are more focused on the market side, such as the product after the listing of sales support, channel support, promotional activities and so on, and our software industry is biased towards the development side, such as demand analysis, product planning, product design, the fundamental reason is because the different sectors of the product shape, This makes the enterprise must have different requirements for product managers, the traditional industry product shape is relatively simple, the technical requirements are not high, more work must be placed in product marketing, and the software industry products for technical requirements, more work should be placed in demand management and new product development, This inevitably makes the product managers in different industries have different working objectives and processes. ”

After Liu said, he definitely looked at Zhou and me, meaning he had a clear idea of the problem.

"Liu, you have a point, but I don't think you have a few places to figure it out," he said. "With Zhou's cover, I picked up the explosives and went up."

"Say it. "Hear, Liu began to build fortress, just wait for me to go up."

"First, I think, in the eyes of the product manager, there is no high-tech industry and the distinction between traditional industries, said the bad point, the so-called High-tech industry, it is their own face to the gold, as if they play is high-tech, there are technical content, other industries are low technical content, in my eyes, There are only two types of product managers in the industry: profitable and unprofitable. ”

"The Void, can you explain it specifically?" Liu throws a grenade.

Zhou also see me, meaning can escape, don't get shot.

I smiled and said leisurely: "What is the purpose of the product manager's fundamental work?" is to give the enterprise the ability to plan for a sustainable product, right? "

I'm sure Liu will agree, because what product manager would want the product he's responsible for doesn't make money?

Sure enough, not only Liu, Lian also agreed.

"Well, how can we plan for a product that has continued profitability?" I refund Liu a grenade.

"It is very simple, to plan for the enterprise to meet market demand for products." Liu Although want to hide, but unfortunately only dodged half.

"Incomplete, planning to meet market demand for products is only the second step to achieve the goal."

"How many more steps are there?" Little Juan began to give up neutrality.

"First step: Find out what needs to be met in the market;"

The second step: Liu said, planning to meet market demand for products;

The third step: is also the most critical step, with the products provided by the enterprise to meet the needs we believe needs to meet the need to achieve the ultimate exchange of value, the completion of the process of profitability. ”

This is also unable to refute, not a product manager will think that hard to make a product after the pendulum to their home is a normal phenomenon, the product is used for market exchange of the value of the carrier, junior high school political textbook mentioned concept.

"Therefore, from the fundamental work of the Product manager, any industry, any one enterprise is no difference, they have a common attribute is: We are all business organizations, are to make money." You can't say you are the software, I do the internet, it is not profit for the purpose?

Liu no answer, the implication I was right, we thought, one day, you to the company boss said: I planned a very good, very exquisite, but not used to make money products, boss, you see we do not do.

I think as long as the IQ in more than 80 of the boss, will not hesitate to let you go, do not look at both sides, out of the company door, and then where to go to cool.

I began to take the initiative, so I continued to throw out a second grenade, heavy.

"So what can be done to make the business profitable?"

Liu began to hide in the bunker, not directly and I tapping.

"Very simple, two things: open source and throttling. What is open source? More market contacts, more comprehensive thinking and more co-ordinated planning, what is the expenditure? Less do the perfunctory, less insignificant, less do the self-righteous product, in fact, to cut expenditure is a goal: the product manager must be entrusted to your enterprise resources to take good responsibility, so that the enterprise's resources input can add value , not devaluation.

Open source is the product manager for the enterprise to make money, throttling is the product manager for the enterprise to save money. How businesses profit, is nothing more than these two forms, and these two forms is no doubt the product manager most need attention.

Therefore, from the product manager's work content, any one industry, any one enterprise is the same, through the work of product managers for the enterprise to make money, on the one hand for the enterprise to save money, so that enterprises will profit. Not a word, the product manager is Chan, that means. ”

Liu out of the bunker and began to counterattack against me from the flank.

"But I've heard from many traditional industry product managers that the focus of their work is at the marketing stage, such as demand analysis, as if it were done very little." And we just on the contrary, the front-end work to do much, the back end is almost not involved, ah, you have done it?

I must admit that Liu is telling the truth, at least as far as I know it is a common phenomenon.

But we have all forgotten the principle of judging things: the general consensus does not represent the right, and what is universally seen does not represent the fact.

There are so many things trickery these days.

I feel that many companies have a bit of a sense of definition of product managers.

Many enterprises on the one hand to product managers to talk about the importance of product management, product Manager value, on the other hand, the product manager put on the awkward position, to do some insignificant, dispensable work.

"Is it?" I think you just say wrong, there is no need to do the analysis of enterprises, not to do the target market segmentation of the enterprise, there is no customer positioning enterprises, if these are not done, that this enterprise for who to do what kind of products, based on where?

10,000 step back, even if there is such a business, we can only say that the enterprise itself out of the problem, and product management and what is the relationship? In my opinion, these enterprises do not deserve to set up a product management system, product management is to allow enterprises to have better output, if or in the same, the fashion to set up a product management system, That kind of business is to be despised. ”

Zhou See me a little excited, hurriedly smooth: "A bubble, you rest assured that our company is not like that, we want to set up the true sense of course, truly can bring value to the company's product management system." ”

I calmed down a little, embarrassed to Liu smiled, meaning I have no other meaning, is to send some personal complaints, is entirely targeted at the country's muddled business.

Liu also smiled, can see, he did not go to the heart, this is I very much appreciate his point, discussion is discussion, not afraid to pat the table, stare eyes, all control in the academic scope, blossom, hundred schools of thought.

Liu still didn't speak, and I knew he was thinking about how he could continue to refute my point of view.

"Well, I have one last question, you mentioned the fundamental objectives of product management and the nature of the work content, I admit that there is no industry difference, but why this understanding has become a universal, or even correct understanding of it? What exists is reasonable, right?

Liu again began to make vulgar, I am more disgusted with people in the inability to justify a certain point of view, abuse of "existence is reasonable" this philosophical point of view to explain.

There is no wrong, the existence of the affirmation is the reason for its existence, but as I said just now, many times, see is not necessarily the truth, consensus is not necessarily the truth, the same, there is not necessarily that we should adhere to.

"I think there is this understanding, on the one hand is not based on product management of the fundamental objectives and the essence of the work of the analysis, there is another aspect is because many enterprises or individuals just see the different industries in the product management of the difference in the specific work to come to this conclusion." ”

I paused to reconsider my thoughts and continued:

"Let me give you an example for example, we are now listing a new product, through OEM, physical stores and digital distribution platform for sale, after a period of time, the company asked to assess the profitability of different channels as the basis for adjustment channels, as a product manager, how will you do it?

Zhou may be both sides of you to make me a little dizzy, puzzled asked me: "I think this should not be the product manager to do it?"

Liu Nod agree, a little oneself want to turn the feeling.

I smiled, "I suppose you would certainly ask, yes, if from the perspective of the channel, this work should be the channel department to do, but we need to know, the company to do the purpose of this work, for the channel department, is to optimize the channel, improve product arrival rate and channel profitability, and for product managers is to know what channel users are accustomed to getting products from, and this is definitely a demand, know this, then know how to adjust the marketing plan, adjust the marketing plan, can let the enterprise put into use efficiency raise, and improve the utilization efficiency, in fact, is to reduce the cost of enterprises, And lower costs mean an increase in corporate profits.

So, from the channel itself, it's the channel department thing, and from the perspective of product management, this is the scope of demand, our industry channel may be simpler, do not need product managers to do too much work, so the software industry product managers will feel that they do not too much in this area, and some other industries, Those who rely on a higher channel of industry, their product managers in this area of work is we simply do not imagine.

But in the final analysis, the channel is also a specific content of market demand, don't we need to pay attention to?

Therefore,

1 no matter which industry, the product manager's fundamental work is the same: all is to give the enterprise to plan a continuous profitability of the product.

2 regardless of which industry, product manager's essential work content is the same: is to both make money for the enterprise, but also to the enterprise to save money and cut expenditure.

3 no matter which industry, product manager's workflow is the same: must first know what the market wants, and then plan to meet market demand for products, and then take this product to meet the market, realize value exchange. Fundamentally, is all market factors in the eyes of the product manager is the demand, product manager's work is carried out around the demand, product manager's workflow is the process of demand development. ”

"Bubble, you haven't answered my question head-on." Liu reminded me that the Jedi fought back.

Negligence, negligence, only think for example, and sure enough, did not answer Liu from the front, so quickly said:

"This general understanding, I think, is mainly caused by three aspects:

1 The enterprise's understanding of product management is insufficient. Many domestic enterprises actually do not know what product management is, what can bring to the enterprise, such as the IT industry, many companies think product managers should focus on technology, but the risk of doing so is to isolate the product manager and the market contact, do not believe you ask most of the product manager, How much time they spend each year on communication with their customers. Some people say that there are too many users of our products, it is impossible to communicate. FMCG (FMCG) is not a lot of users, what are the product managers doing every day? It's best to know.

2 The impact of the product manager's personal thinking inertia: it must be admitted that many product managers are halfway to change, some used to do the technology, and some used to do the market, but these are only a specific part of the business operation, once the transformation, if we focus on the vision of the product is also limited in their previous work in that thinking, It must be the result of elephant.

3 lack of the necessary system guidance for Chinese enterprises: foreign things good? Good, but this kind of good is based on the practice of foreign enterprises, and our Chinese enterprises have what relationship? You know, product management is a purely market-oriented product, while the domestic market environment and enterprise types are more complex, In the transition period, Chinese enterprises may only realize the real market impact, it is possible for product management in the domestic development to provide better soil.

Now, China's enterprises to find a suitable product management model, must be from their own reality to explore, only in order to enable Chinese enterprises to realize the value of product management. ”

Liu got up and left the conference room and returned to his seat, I know, he just retreat and rest, does not mean that he will not counterattack again, in fact, all the changes in understanding, all need the parties in practice to experience.

Of course, I have never thought that this discussion can reach a complete agreement on this understanding, I just hope that through communication to expand the ideas, especially for Zhou.

I smiled to Zhou said: "Or I help you to complete this process, you rest assured that I will do a good job." ”

Zhou hey a happy, said: "We do have a P use, the key is above, the bosses do not agree, are all in vain." ”

I just understand come over, but already late, Zhou print out of the flowchart to my hand a plug, said in earnest: "In this way, you will change the flow chart, tomorrow completion!"

Apao Dour:

Product Management If there is a specific industry, then, it can not be said that the management of the general concept of universality, if not the universality, then how it is popular in the world?

This is a very simple logic, just as we have never heard of the excessive industry of project management, the Division of the financial management of the industry, the division of the MBA.

So why do many friends now think that product management has a special industry?

The reason is that the bubble in the text mentioned in the three points:

1 lack of awareness of enterprises;

2 Personal thinking inertia;

3 lack of systematic guidance.

After all, whether it is a business, or a person, are using elephant-style thinking to understand product management, always think that they are doing the work of product management, and the industry also lacks the necessary communication, which can not be from different industries to find product management common things.

Common things can not find, nature will think there is the particularity of the industry.

As the bubble said in the text, product management is fundamentally the same for any industry.

1 regardless of which industry, product manager's fundamental work is the same;

2 regardless of which industry, product manager's essential work content is the same;

3 no matter which industry, the product manager's workflow is the same.

This is from a realistic point of view, if from the historical point of view, a good look at the birth of the product management model of the market, enterprise, product environment, you will find that we not only have a bias in understanding, but also in practice deviated from the nature of product management.

And all of this makes us have the same understanding as the frog in the well.