What knowledge and skills does a product manager need:
Understanding the basic principles of development is a key factor in quickly entering the technical context of the product and correctly setting tasks for the team.
Project management skills. The development and implementation process includes individual stages and specific tasks. It is important to compare intermediate and final results, including updating interface elements, launching or improving the product. To successfully achieve the set goals, it is necessary to correctly structure the team's activities, rationally distribute time and resources.
Analytical work. To use vk data package various metrics, you need to have a clear understanding of their role and meaning. A big plus is considered to be the product manager's skills in writing SQL queries. This allows you to independently test simple hypotheses, minimizing dependence on analysts.
Product Manager Skills
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Skills in conducting consumer research. A product manager should know interviewing methods and conducting UX analysis. Such skills allow you to formulate clear tasks for researchers. For example, a product manager needs to have an idea of what sample of respondents is required and what questions should be asked. An additional plus is the ability to independently conduct research and interact with users, which contributes to a more complete understanding of the needs of the target audience.
Basic knowledge of unit economics. It is important to be able to assess the profitability of a project, determine what benefit the implementation of a new function will bring, and objectively compare the results with the development costs.
Ability to effectively manage relationships with stakeholders. Product specification requirements may vary. Often stakeholders do not realize the full cost of completing a task. In these situations, it is important to be able to clearly explain why a specific solution is too expensive, and to offer a compromise solution that solves the problem in a more cost-effective way.
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Additional competencies of a product manager
A product manager primarily performs organizational functions. In addition, to successfully perform his duties, he needs technical skills, understanding of the specifics of development processes, marketing and economics.
Ability to think strategically
The primary task of a product manager is to develop a product concept and long-term plans for its development. To achieve this goal, the specialist analyzes market conditions and the competitive environment, forms a comprehensive vision and communicates it to developers.
Project planning
The product manager develops a roadmap and creates a project for the development of the product. In this context, it is necessary to create a work schedule within which each team member is aware of their responsibilities and can actively participate in the process, propose ideas and maintain communication with other participants.
Building a system of interaction and information exchange
Product managers use cross-functional management methods, interacting with almost all team members, including developers, sales, marketing, etc.
To perform such functions, it is necessary to have well-developed communication skills, the ability to organize effective interaction between different departments and specialists. The main task of a product manager is to collect information in different directions.
A roadmap is a key tool for establishing comprehensive communication. It helps keep everyone involved updated throughout the product lifecycle.