We spoke with three Product Managers from various technology companies and backgrounds, ex-consultant Anant Kapoor from gaming and entertainment company Improbable, David Zuo from online gaming company Zynga and Chitra Laras from the UK’s leading rail and coach company Trainline. The team at Hiperpool published this original article in 2018, now three years later, we’ve brought in some significant updates.
For more details about our interviewees see here.
In this article you’ll learn:
- The key responsibilities of a Product Manager
- What does Product Management look like at different types of companies?
- What you need to be a successful Product Manager
- How essential is coding for a Product Manager?
- Advice for people looking to make a move into Product Management
- Advice for people working in product to help them excel and grow in their role|
“The product manager of today is increasingly the mini-CEO of the product.” - Mckinsey & Company
Product Managers set the product vision & strategy while leading a diverse team (engineers, designers, marketers, etc) in delivering the right product to the market. They define the product roadmap, including features and requirements, and articulate the business rationale behind it. They are responsible for articulating the ‘what’ and working with the relevant teams to build and maintain a successful product. As the figure below suggests, their expertise lies in the intersection between business, technology and user experience.