What, exactly, is a Product Manager?

The page says product management sits at the intersection of business, technology, and user experience. A good product manager is expected to understand at least one of those areas well, care about all three, and work with specialists across them.

It also describes the role as broad and shifting. The product manager sets the product vision by researching the market, customers, and their problems, shares that vision inside the business, turns it into an incremental roadmap, works closely with the development team to define and adjust the product, and keeps checking data and user feedback after launch.

Reading notes

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• Product management is described as a business function focused on maximizing value and return on investment.
• The role requires understanding the technology stack and the effort needed to build the product.
• The product manager is the voice of the user inside the business and should test the product and talk to users directly.
• The work begins with setting a vision based on market, customer, and problem research.
• That vision has to be communicated across the business so sales, developers, and others understand it.
• The next step is a roadmap of incremental improvements and iterative development.
• The product manager works day to day with the development team as a product owner, defining and iterating the product while managing scope.
• After launch, the role returns to data and user feedback to check whether the product solved the right problem, whether users understand it, and whether they will pay for it.
• The text says the job is broad, varied, and often involves many products or features at the same time.