What Does A Product Manager Do?

Very popular in marketing and technology, the job of a product manager has become essential. It allows businesses to implement scalable and profitable products that set them apart. He is a strategic professional whose skills extend to marketing the product. But what exactly does a product manager do in a company? Find out everything about his different roles in the company here.

The Product Manager: Who Is It?

To better approach the different facets of the Product manager job, it is necessary to know who it is. In truth, the product manager is a professional who oversees the development of scalable digital services/products. It is, therefore, he who develops:

mobile applications;
SaaS software;
responsive applications;
websites;
commerce platforms, etc.

But long before, it takes into account the needs of consumers. He then develops products to strengthen the customer experience, which he continues to improve. The product manager, therefore, constantly updates the digital products available to customers. He still develops the sales strategy for the products or services designed. Consequently, he works from problem identification to the implementation of digital products.

The product manager then works on technical and commercial challenges as well as the satisfaction of end customers. This is a new profession in France, similar to the product manager’s profile. The difference is that the product manager works more in the technical team than in the marketing team. Today, this professional is recruited in all company sizes to ensure a good product policy.

The Product Manager: What Are His Missions In The Company?

The main objective of the product manager is to create and constantly improve digital products. To achieve this, he carries out various practical missions. At first glance, this professional defines the long-term strategic vision and publishes a roadmap. He then develops a benchmark that allows him to manage his project successfully. The product manager coordinates the various projects in a just-in-time manner. Practically, it achieves:

research and identification of user needs;
the implementation of the roadmap;
production following the agile marketing technique ;
monitoring KPIs to manage and optimize journeys.

To succeed in its strategic deployment, the product manager works with the members of the product teams. It calls on developers, UX designers, graphic designers, etc. His work also requires the contribution of members of cross-functional teams. This is why you will see him collaborating with the data analyst, financiers, salespeople, etc.

The product manager’s main ambition is to deliver a constantly evolving product. It publishes digital tools that meet technical and commercial parameters and customer needs. After product delivery, it relies on customer service to get user feedback. The sales teams also provide him with customer feedback to enable him to arbitrate and improve the product if necessary.

What Skills Are Required To Be A Product Manager?

To successfully carry out the numerous missions assigned to the product manager, it is important to have certain skills. This professional must have certain skills and qualities to meet better customers’ needs and the company’s ambitions. Among other things, he must:

Have Technical Skills

To properly play his role within the company, the product manager must have solid and advanced knowledge in:

digital marketing and communications;
project management ;
agile methodology;
team management, etc.

More specifically, this professional must master data analysis and A/B testing. He must then develop proven techniques in conversion rate optimization and UX design. The product manager must be able to carry out market research and use artificial intelligence in his technical innovations. He must also master planning and prioritization, essential in implementing an agile methodology.

Have General Skills

Apart from technical skills, the product manager must also have general skills. Working in a team, he must develop empathy. This quality will allow him to coordinate team activities and, above all, better understand customers. He must build user experience skills to integrate the product better. This professional must have storytelling skills.

He must be creative to implement numerous innovations that meet customer needs easily. He is a professional who must demonstrate rigor and have a very strong sense of interpersonal skills. This will allow it to mobilize the various teams around its projects easily. He must have this quality of being a leader of men, enabling him to bring together all his colleagues around the objective.

How To Become A Product Manager?

As with many tech jobs, there are several paths to becoming a product manager. But a bac+5 training is better valued for this type of profession. After the baccalaureate, you can pursue digital marketing training. In three years, you will be licensed to integrate a master’s degree in Digital Strategies Expert. Doing 5 years of training directly in digital marketing is also possible. This will allow you to develop the technical and managerial skills of the PM.

You can then do professional internships to build soft skills. Today, several companies do not yet have a PM. You can start your first experiences there and face the realities of business. It is also possible to become a PM by only following training in UX design. You will then have to follow digital marketing and management courses after the license to get up to speed.

Those who have completed a computer science degree, specifically in the design of digital tools, can also apply for this position. They must register for a master’s degree in digital marketing after their bachelor’s degree. Internships and other qualifying training will allow them to develop product manager skills.

What Is The Remuneration Of A Product Manager?

If you are attracted to the product manager job, you need to find out about their remuneration. In truth, the salary of this professional varies according to his years of experience and especially the size of the company in which he works. For a PM, companies pay up to 45,000 euros per year. After years, this salary can rise and reach the 55,000 euros mark.

When the PM reaches a senior level, his pay can vary between 70,000 and 80,000 euros per year. For large-scale projects, the salary of this professional may still exceed this range. But a product manager can also benefit from the consultations he carries out for companies or individuals, which can quickly increase your annual remuneration.

What Are The Management Methods Of A Product Manager?

The PM uses several management methods to carry out his numerous missions better. The first method is the agile methodology. The product management team can work optimally on the company’s objectives. It is a method which consists of working in frequent iterations by continually providing feedback. The product manager also uses the continuous innovation method. It is a work strategy which aims to make regular and progressive improvements to a product. This professional also uses the following working methods:

kanban;
the Shape Up;
feature-driven development (FDD);
Lean software development, etc.

These methods aim to strengthen team efficiency and offer almost flawless products.

Why Recruit This Professional In Your Company?

A priori, the definition of the product manager profile leads us to believe that this professional only has technical capabilities. This is also why some companies have not yet found the point of recruiting him. However, taking on the product manager in your company is the best way to get your digital marketing off the ground. It’s a Swiss army knife that does a little bit of everything.

Depending on the needs expressed by customers, this professional will be responsible for developing a digital tool to facilitate work in the company. In a company specializing in tech, the product manager is at the center of activities. It is he who detects the needs of the market to find a digital solution. He develops the tool and ensures its delivery in the best conditions. His listening ability allows him to receive user feedback and improve his product.

Having a product manager in your company today is one of the best investments. This profession allows you to implement more relevant and efficient digital marketing. Their business qualities make improving commercial techniques and the company’s finances possible. Its versatility allows it to carry out many tasks.

What Career Development For A Product Manager?

The job of a product manager is very evolving. Within a company, this professional can climb several levels with salary increases. However, it must be said that the positions to be occupied depend on the worker’s profile and the company’s organization chart. Indeed, a product manager can become a Chief Product Officer. In this position, he is called upon to develop the company’s product strategy.

He can also become the Lead Product Manager. This is the position where he is responsible for leading the product management team and the product officer. Within certain well-structured companies dedicated to digital, the PM can become a Lead Expert or Head of Product. He is called upon to build the product team and deploy the strategy in both cases.

He will be responsible for leading the product organization. Finally, the product manager can also create his own company and offer the creation of digital tools to professionals. It can provide other tech companies with quality software and applications to improve their service. In this case, his remuneration depends on his notoriety, the number of monthly customers he attracts, and many other parameters.

Where Does The Product Manager Work?

The product manager is a profession imported from Silicon Valley in the USA. It is a position integrated into the organizational chart of technology companies. Today, product management extends to all companies with digital products to sell or promote. This is why the product manager is hired quite early in startups.

The profile of this professional is favorable to innovation and the marketing of new products. It, therefore, allows its new technology companies to propel their growth. Traditional companies also started by recruiting product managers, which offers this professional numerous professional opportunities. You can follow training in product management to quickly find your way professionally.

Product Manager And Product Owner: Are They The Same Job?

The product manager is a professional who works on several levels of the product organization. It mainly intervenes at the level:

Discovery: identification of user needs;
Product design;
delivery: delivery of the product;
updating and improving the product.

The Product Owner is a professional who only intervenes at the delivery level. The product manager is a jack of all trades, while the product owner is a specialist. A product owner works to maximize the product’s value implemented by the product manager. It is then in the operationalization of the product. Better still, it does not intervene in the company as long as the methodology is not agile.

In short, the product manager is a professional who works on the product strategy of companies. He identifies user needs, designs digital tools, and puts them on the market. Finally, he listens to complaints and works to improve the product delivered. It’s a new profession from Silicon Valley in the United States. In technology companies, a PM earns a good living regardless of experience.