Your one-stop guide to becoming a product management prodigy
Product management plays a pivotal role in organizations. In fact, it's now considered the fourth most important title in corporate America--yet only a tiny fraction of product managers have been trained for this vital position. If you're one of the hundreds of thousands of people who hold this essential job--or simply aspire to break into a new role--Product Management For Dummies gives you the tools to increase your skill level and manage products like a pro.
From defining what product management is--and isn't--to exploring the rising importance of product management in the corporate world, this friendly and accessible guide quickly gets you up to speed on everything it takes to thrive in this growing field. It offers plain-English explanations of the product life cycle, market research, competitive analysis, market and pricing strategy, product roadmaps, the people skills it takes to effectively influence and negotiate, and so much more.
* Create a winning strategy for your product
* Gather and analyze customer and market feedback
* Prioritize and convey requirements to engineering teams effectively
* Maximize revenues and profitability
Product managers are responsible for so much more than meets the eye--and this friendly, authoritative guide lifts the curtain on what it takes to succeed.
Autorentext
Brian Lawley is the CEO and founder of the 280 Group, the world's leading product management consulting and training firm. Pamela Schure is director of products and services with the 280 Group. She has worked in product management, product marketing, and marketing for Apple and Adaptec, among other companies.
Zusammenfassung
Your one-stop guide to becoming a product management prodigy
Product management plays a pivotal role in organizations. In fact, it's now considered the fourth most important title in corporate Americayet only a tiny fraction of product managers have been trained for this vital position. If you're one of the hundreds of thousands of people who hold this essential jobor simply aspire to break into a new roleProduct Management For Dummies gives you the tools to increase your skill level and manage products like a pro.
From defining what product management isand isn'tto exploring the rising importance of product management in the corporate world, this friendly and accessible guide quickly gets you up to speed on everything it takes to thrive in this growing field. It offers plain-English explanations of the product life cycle, market research, competitive analysis, market and pricing strategy, product roadmaps, the people skills it takes to effectively influence and negotiate, and so much more.
- Create a winning strategy for your product
- Gather and analyze customer and market feedback
- Prioritize and convey requirements to engineering teams effectively
- Maximize revenues and profitability
Product managers are responsible for so much more than meets the eyeand this friendly, authoritative guide lifts the curtain on what it takes to succeed.
Inhalt
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Getting Started with Product Management 5
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Product Management 7
Understanding the Need for Product Management 8
Recognizing the Critical Role of Project Management 9
Defining product management 9
Serving as a strategic driver for business 9
Product Management in a Nutshell: Checking Out Your Day-to-Day Life 12
Managing a product during every phase of its life 12
Reaching in to your bag of tricks 13
Chapter 2: Getting in Character: Discovering Your Role as a Product Manager 15
Orientation Day: Examining Your Role as Product Manager 15
Checking out the job description 17
Pinpointing product management on the organizational chart 19
Drafting your product management manifesto 20
Comparing Product Management to Other Related Roles 21
Checking out product marketing 22
Looking into program management 23
Exploring project management 25
Knowing what other roles you interact with 27
Conducting a Self-Assessment: Traits of a Great Product Manager 32
Business acumen 32
Industry knowledge and expertise 33
Technical knowledge 33
People skills 34
Decision-making skills 34
Problem-solving aptitude 35
A cool head 35
Leadership chops 36
Scoring your product manager traits 37
RACI and DACI: Understanding Responsibilities 38
Going the RACI route 38
Taking a DACI direction 39
Using RACI and DACI effectively 40
Chapter 3: Checking Out the Product Life Cycle 41
Defining the Product Life Cycle: What It Is and Isn't 41
Phases and gates 42
Mapping phase-gate to Agile methodologies 43
It's Just a Phase: Breaking Down the Product Life Cycle 46
Phase I: Conceive 46
Phase II: Plan 47
Phase III: Develop 48
Phase IV: Qualify 49
Phase V: Launch 49
Phase VI: Maximize 50
Phase VII: Retire 51
Detailing the Optimal Product Process 52
Taking a look at how the process works 52
Understanding the nine core documents 54
Part 2: Discovering, Evaluating, and Planning for Great Products and Services 57
Chapter 4: Coming Up with Great Product Ideas 59
Getting a Handle on the Creative Process 59
Exploring sources for new ideas 60
Letting your team play 61
Generating Creative Ideas: Techniques and Tips 63
Brainstorming 63
Consulting customer councils 65
Tapping the power of mind mapping 66
Trying a more structured approach: The four actions framework 67
Chapter 5: Working to Understand Who Your Customer Is 69
Moving from Markets to Segments 69
Defining markets and segments 70
Determining market segments 70
Harnessing the Creativity of Personas 72
What is included in a persona description 72
Developing personas 74
Making Sure You Cover All Persona Roles 77
Visiting Customers 78
Observing customer visit courtesies 78
Interviewing customers 79
Chapter 6: Doing Your Homework: Evaluating Your Ideas 83
Understanding the Importance of Market Research and Competitive Intelligence 83
Subdividing kinds of market research 85
Looking for the right place to start 86
Undertaking the Market Research Process 87
Spelling out the market research process 88
Asking the right...