What is Product Management?
Product management is the holistic process of guiding a product's lifecycle, from conception to market release and beyond. It encompasses understanding market needs, defining the product's vision, and ensuring its successful execution.
What Does a Product Manager Do?
A Product Manager's role in developing a product’s strategy, roadmap, and feature definition involves these steps:
Collaboration with Teams: Effective product management requires collaboration across functions. Product managers work with teams like UX designers, engineers, marketers, and copywriters to ensure the product meets its goals. Diverse opinions from different team members encourage new ways of thinking and contribute to the product's success.
Product Manager & Product Marketing Manager: Similarities & Differences
While a Product Manager focuses on the development and success of the product, a Product Marketing Manager concentrates on how the product is presented and sold in the market. Both roles require a deep understanding of the market and customer needs, but they focus on different stages of the product lifecycle.
Can Product Managers Shift to Product Marketing Managers?
Product Managers with a strong understanding of the market and customer needs can transition into Product Marketing roles. However, this shift requires additional skills in communication and marketing strategy.
Hiring a Product Manager Without a Formal Degree
While a formal degree is beneficial, experience and relevant certifications can also be valuable in a Product Manager role.
Here are a few relevant product manager-related certifications that may contribute to a candidate's qualifications:
At the end of the day, your decision should be based on which candidates can provide the right balance of product excellence, team leadership, and business alignment, regardless of the certifications or degrees they may have.
