What Do Product Managers Actually Do?

What do Product Managers actually do? And by that, I mean what actual work does a PM do?
In an incredibly thorough introduction to the world of Product Management, Josh Elman of Greylock Partners, who has also worked at Twitter, Facebook Connect, LinkedIn and more, provides a detailed walkthrough of the same.

Key Takeaways:

Broad responsibilities of a Product Manager:

1. Define the market & customer.
2. Launch timing, sales and marketing collateral.
3. Define the problem and value proposition.
4. Competitors, products & capabilities
5. Define the requirements and roadmap.
6. Internal/External stakeholder communication.
7. Product evangelist and champion.

On the team:

1. You are not a ‘CEO of the product’. You’re a team leader.
2. Set the cadence.
3. Brainstorm effectively.
4. Manage product operations.

Shipping > Perfection:

1. Helping your team only matters if you ship the right product to the users.
2. Providing clear criteria for launch readiness.
3. Make the difficult tradeoffs.
4. Prioritize ruthlessly.

Key Point:

1. The Product IS NEVER FINISHED.
2. There is no right product…but there is a right way to be a Product Manager.
3. Effective Product Managers simply help their team move forward.

Want to kickstart your product management career? Go for our Product Management Course and become a 10X better product leader!