A product manager is the one who is responsible for every stage of a product’s life cycle. The stages include pricing, sales, and analysis. No wonder this is an important position that requires a unique set of skills. Moreover, a career in this field is also scaling high. Now companies look for good product managers for a good business.
If any company has openings for product manager jobs, here are some important product Management skills to look for in a candidate.
Broad Business Knowledge
Having the perfect knowledge of business fundamentals is necessary to be great at product management. If you want the best fit for your organization, see whether a candidate is good in consumer research, budgeting, cash flow, and competitive intelligence. Understanding of business case development is also important.
Market Research and Analysis
General market metrics and the product implications must be taken into account before presenting the product to the customers. Product managers play a vital role in this process. They ensure the correctness of the product roadmap and accurate market data. They cannot rely on their intuition only. Successful product managers do thorough market research and consumer surveys. They draw a competitive analysis as per the market trends and tell you about the potential threats if any.
Development
The most important stage in the lifecycle of the product is development. For instance – if you are developing a product that requires technical know-how, a manager with the knowledge of electronics and engineering might be of great help to you. But it is still important to strike the right balance between technical knowledge and business concepts to ensure that your product will go a long way.
Prioritization
Successful product managers know very well to prioritize which work first. That is why they are said to be diligent prioritizers. Maintaining the balance between task-level and product-level while emphasizing strategic priorities is very necessary. Additionally, product managers must be well-versed with budget issues and human error and maintain the essential order of tasks.
Design knowledge
The usability of the product determines the longevity of the product’s life. By going in-depth into understanding the customer requirements and then performing market research, product managers come to know about the design elements. They ensure that these design elements provide ease to the customers to solve their problems and create a valuable experience for them.
For instance – A company is designing a slow cooker for the ones who have never used it. So the product managers of the company may suggest a user interface that will give a more comfortable experience to the users. The product manager can also suggest including a unique feature that users can use to check the slow cooker’s progress with the help of their smartphones.
Pricing And Revenue Modeling
Product management gives utmost attention to forecasting and planning. Pricing and revenue models are important subsets of this attention. Product managers try to develop the communicated value of the product. The cross-functional team then considers this communicated value to decide on the set price and revenue source of the product. This information is then used in the revenue model.
The responsibility of bringing a great product to market relies on product managers, but it is the cross-functional team that decides the final price of the product. Therefore, product managers need to have a good set of soft skills to ensure a smooth product lifecycle; coordinating well with all the stakeholders to bring a profitable product to market.
Undoubtedly, technical skills are a must if you hire a product manager, but soft skills are also required. It includes communication, creativity, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities. A combination of good technical skills and soft skills increases your value in front of the employer. Let us put light on some of the soft skills.
Communication Skills
Different people work on the product at different production phases. It is important to develop strong coordination and communication among them. A great product manager must know how to develop transparency in verbal and written communication to keep all the members aware. This will help the product to launch on time and within the budget.
Analytical Thinking
Development, longevity, and release of the product – all depend on critical and analytical thinking. As market trends and consumer expectations change, components of a product’s life cycle also witness changes. Thus, it is necessary for a product manager to be vigilant to understand the market trends effectively.
To Sum It Up!
It is no wonder that the industry of product management will continue to change in the coming time with respect to business and technology. Therefore, hone your skills to be a great product manager.
You can reach PALARINO PARTNERS for any assistance. We build World-class product management teams so that your organization would not face any mis-hire. Hence, give wings to your product with the PALARINO PARTNERS and read the higher returns.