What the product manager should focus on

Recently, many product managers have been contacted and found that they spend most of their time on product design details. Specifically, too see heavy product interaction design and UI design in this respect, almost all of the time is spent on design and development, the product itself should focus on the place will be overlooked. and many products related to the site, the discussion and sharing of most of the interaction and design-related content. This situation, on the one hand, is the result of the chaos of domestic product circle, on the other hand will let the new people think that the product is to do the design. So here's another discussion about what the product manager is all about, and what the product manager should focus on.

When it comes to product managers, what is called the title is not important, the first time we identified and now the desired production of the Product Manager role is actually a product of the fundamental responsibility of managers. For example, the boss is responsible for the company, the designer is responsible for his design, the product manager is a product line/product/or a product under the section (can be regarded as a child product) is fundamentally responsible. So, how about a responsible law? You need to coordinate the various resources according to the above company strategy, and push the product to achieve the target in the plan.

What should the product manager do? What are the specific responsibilities? Before saying this, want to comb the idea of everyone: some things are the product manager's job, is the responsibility, and some things are only products need to know some knowledge. For example, we all say that PM needs to understand some of the interactions, need to understand some operations, but does not mean that PM is interactive. Any occupation in a solid do the professional work on the basis of other professional knowledge and knowledge of upstream and downstream learning is the more the more things. But not the cart. Not because of infatuation with the front-end code to become the pursuit of code efficiency, not because of obsession with the beauty of the UI into the pursuit of visual effects of people. Product managers or products, product managers need to do a good job should be:

Product strategy and development planning

For example, the boss said the company will be listed in 3 years, then need some to promote the company's listing products, then the product manager needs to know, the product's strategic goal is to promote the listing. The product manager needs to be based on this goal, planning the product at different times, different stages should be how to promote the company to go public. The product manager needs to think about which direction to take the product into and which field to get the capital to promote the listing.

According to these ideas, product managers determine the products of many cardinal issues, such as what the target market is, what the target user is, what is the profit model, even the temperament and style of products and so on ... To do this thing, product managers have to understand the market, understand competitors, have a shrewd business acumen, these abilities are no less than the CEO, not just graduated from the fledgling people can do, but we all need to always in this direction to learn and efforts.

Mining and analysis of requirements

When a product manager transforms a company's strategy into a product's goal, it needs to be tapped from it. These requirements are not only from the user, but may also be market demand, the company's internal needs. Product managers not only need to think about what needs to meet the product's goals, but also to analyze what needs to be done, what needs should not be done, what the priorities are and what to do. It's like digging a stone in a mine to pick a material, and eventually the process of building a magnificent castle, which we call demand mining and analysis.

Now the Internet products focus on more users, so the product manager to face and deal with the needs of users is also relatively more. Mining demand is not to say that what is found to do what is now a demand for less resources in the era, product managers to clearly understand whether users really want this demand, what circumstances, whether it can bring benefits to the product, how to weigh and evaluate the priority. Otherwise you give the downstream not reliable demand, people are likely to scold you in the back of the stupid force, now we also imperceptible to the "demand for mining and analysis capabilities" as a product manager is a professional evaluation criteria. So to do this, the product to understand the user, understand the market, to be able to dig data, to observe the competition, can have a strong logic analysis ability and self-management ability, etc., too much knowledge.

Promote the realization of product objectives

The promotion product is refers to the product manager completes the Prophase plan and the design, then needs to use each party resources to push this matter to carry on the realization, otherwise will stay in the idea. To do well in front of 2 is not difficult, at most is their own things, but to promote the product but requires a strong team-work management capabilities. We all know that the product is a CEO with no real power, said that the specific is in most companies, PM is not directly under the resources, research and development are belong to other departments of public resources, PM not only to strive for these resources, but also to coordinate their concerted efforts to achieve the goal, this is the Product manager manager side.

May be said after some of the PM friends are more confused, product strategy seems very distant things, this is not the boss or director do it? We seem to be doing some design work such as prototype drawing, what is this? In fact, just said the product manager responsibility and ability, is a more rigorous definition and ideal situation, now the national conditions are different enterprises, different capabilities of the Product manager requirements are not the same.

It is also said that there is no title to be called, and that the division of positions in large companies is clear, different grades of products do things are not the same, in small companies may be the boss is PM (because it may be a company on a product), and the recruit PM just need to assist the boss to draw a prototype design only, there are some people across the boundary, Because the division of labor is not very clear so products, interaction and with the research to do.

We sometimes also say that Jobs is the product manager, Zhangxiaolong is also a product manager, as long as you really do the above can be a few of the product manager, these more confusing situation does not affect a product manager's own attributes and should have the ability, but you did not do it. But still have to say the product manager is a stage, different ability and level of product manager, the above three responsibilities of the focus of attention is not the same:

Novice Stage: The title is mostly called Product specialist, product design, product Manager This stage of people, in fact, focus on promoting product objectives to achieve more. In large companies, there will often be a senior product manager with a few novices, who are similar to assistants, primarily helping instructors write documents, communicate with development design, collect material observation data, collect feedback and effects, and develop product perceptions in this way.

For many beginners, it is not possible to start with a good sense of demand and control ability, not to mention the product strategy. Because they have more dealings with other departments and resources, they will need to understand the interaction, understand the design, understand some of the development content, but these are to better communicate and promote people to make things together.

Veteran stage: Title is usually the product manager in the hands of the product manager, the most specific is the need to have a certain decision-making power, focus on the needs of mining and analysis. Veteran's product managers decide what to do and what not to do, often think about what users like, what has a good profit space, and not just think about, but also have a strong persuasive persuasion, to convince the boss of other departments to give resources.

Veteran have a certain experience and feeling, have good logical thinking and communication skills, but also have a certain degree of leadership, now most product managers are at this stage.

Boss Stage: Title may be product manager, product Director or CEO of course, the boss stage is to focus on product strategy and planning, in small companies may be the boss, the boss is the largest product manager. But in some large companies such as Tencent, so many products horse is always impossible to pay attention to come over, there are a variety of administrative services, business affairs, such as large and small things, so are differentiated to product Director of products such as the President of the people to lead a product.

To understand is to enter the boss stage, that is, the product has a lot of rights, of course, the responsibility is also very large. All aspects of the product need attention and treatment, but the most important thing is to guide the product to the right direction, is the product of the helm. Boss Stage is the manager, have their own team a lot of things are delegated to everyone to complete, of course, to lead a good team. To do this, not only by the ability and experience, opportunities and means are very important.

Many companies may not be divided into such a fine, only a level of product managers. But you should also know that the strength of your abilities determines which part of the job you can do well, and that it is the direction that all the product managers are looking for to keep learning and improving to get more control over the product. Speaking here, you may have a comprehensive understanding of the position of Product manager, of course, the really good product manager has already seen through and does not mind these details, hoping to write these can provide a lot of confused and hard to even know the "product Manager" for some help, Some of the details and the specific methodology please let us know.