Product manager A, B, C students, perhaps tens of thousands of people
Student A is A product person with about 3 years of product experience. From sales, operation and finally transformation to product, he has experienced different role changes and now he is working in product.
A lot of my friends ask me, does working on a product determine requirements, determine UI, determine testing? Or even decide to develop?
The emergence of product manager is a concept born in the project management of PROCTER & Gamble Company. It can be said that because of the detailed division of work, one needs to coordinate project management, especially in the Internet industry needs to obtain user needs, be able to conduct user research, responsible for product interaction, acceptance and management of products.
Let’s take a look at baidu Baike’s description of product managers
Product Manager is a position in an enterprise that is specifically responsible for Product management. The Product Manager is responsible for market research and determines which products to develop, which technologies to choose, and which business models to choose according to users’ needs. He also promotes the development organization of corresponding products. He also coordinates research and development, marketing, operation, etc., determines and organizes the implementation of corresponding product strategies, as well as a series of other related product management activities according to the product life cycle.
Let’s list the above managers. The responsibilities of product managers are as follows:
Then what is the situation of student A’s product now?
Because it is an e-commerce business, and in the case of a startup, the sales department or leader has given a specific task. Student A began to investigate requirements, prototype drawing, organize review, modify or adjust requirements, UI design and development
After the above process is complete, a product 1.0 is officially launched. I believe that many students are experiencing similar on-line process.
Indeed, this process is a standard Internet product online process
As an employee of the company, the product manager needs to start his own work when he gets the task arrangement or direction from the leader. However, STUDENT A told me that this is not the way he thinks the product manager works.
I asked him why? His answer summed up in the following points
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Leadership to the plan, feel completely unreliable. You can’t get away with it every time
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In the review, I felt that what I said was very reasonable, but was still cut by the superior
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Every time the designer overhauled his prototype, it was too far from what he expected
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Test students every time do not give acceptance report….
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The sales leader says a suggestion or request must be done immediately
Situations like this can be found everywhere, repeated. He felt helpless in his work and felt that this product work was not the original dream. This company insisted for 3 years, he thought should continue to insist?
Classmate B is a product of a job for more than 2 years friend, because he join in the work is a mature company department of innovation, should some Internet team structure is not complete, because of the reason of project outsourcing, during the period of product launch, and in the absence of resources development, design, outsourcing company will be in addition to the product manager of staff.
Therefore, his work process is the same as student A’s: demand, review, design, development and test; But after working for more than two months, the student came to me and asked me why the job of product manager was so boring.
I also summarized the following points in his words
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Development and design can’t support all requirements design, except for the boss’s requirements, which can’t support good requirements around the product
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Because development and design are outsourced outside the company, communication is very inconvenient, and I often feel that I have nothing to do but draw pictures silently, and I cannot find anyone
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The leader does not arrange the task, oneself also do not know how to report with the leader
Later, I met C, a PM of a listed company. The position structure of the team is clear, but the company has never had a product department, so he was assigned to the design department after coming to the company. After working for a year, does he really like product work? Come up to me and say, KEVIN, did I make a mistake?
I read up on him, so to summarize
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There is no standard in the product department, the requirements shall be subject to the design department, and the r&d students shall be subject to the design
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The requirements after the review may be eliminated by the development students and the design students at any time
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The gap between online products and their needs is more than 3/5, and only 2/5 have been successfully launched
01
Atypical product managers are a normal phenomenon
Looking back, first of all, is the ABC student above something that you have ever encountered or is happening in your product work?
In product work, students like ABC are atypical product managers. In my opinion, atypical product phenomenon is common.
The only way to achieve the ideal of absolute control is to become your own boss.
What are the fundamentals of a product manager? Except now that the Internet is becoming more and more segmented, data product manager, product operations manager and interaction designer are all different developments from product manager.
In different companies, each product manager will have different priorities because of the company’s core business and traditional DNA.
Just like the BAT we often say, is the cradle and dream land of Internet product manager. Is it really about being able to really cover all the bases for product managers?
BAT even from BAT gene companies, they will have a much richer understanding of the product manager position
I can only say that compared with companies without BAT or first-tier Internet enterprises, they have a higher understanding of product managers.
But doesn’t gao mean product managers are as sacred as Jobs. One of my friends in Tencent Dance Association once joked to me, “Our product manager just holds a meeting with people and arranges them. Even the prototype is handed over to us. After reporting the work, it’s over!”
Hence the term atypical product manager. Just because you don’t have exactly what they want in your current job doesn’t negate your experience and your value.
You’re just one of tens of thousands of atypical product managers. In fact, in an organization, it is said that product managers’ favorite quarrel is with development.
But the reality is how many product managers fight with designers, bosses, or their product colleagues.
02
Atypical product managers are uneven
A few days ago, I had a chat with an alumnus about the development and learning path of product manager. He said he entered Ali after working in the field for more than a year. I should be a senior product manager or product specialist in Ali. But when I asked, “Senior, how did you get here?”
It’s not because you’re at BAT that you’re awesome.
Although I once worked in Tencent as a subcontractor, I really had no other way to grow and learn by myself during the period of working in Tencent.
For this reason, the friends I met in product work have different understandings and understandings of product interaction, data, operation and commercial analysis.
A friend of mine from a startup used to be a colleague of mine. When I proposed to build a data system in the company, he was the first person to oppose it.
My opinion: during 0-1, even during a cold start, the meaning and analysis of data is critical.
However, the opinion of colleagues is that the current data is meaningless, and priority should be given to improving product disadvantages.
What’s your opinion? You can leave a comment below at….
But we have to admit that in the product work, we need to face the collaboration within the product department, the collaboration between departments. Uneven product status quo, in the work in what way to run in is particularly important.
Product people who can distinguish between work and life will go further. We often say, take baby steps and overtake on corners. But in today’s collaborative Internet environment, the product manager is one of the core factors that drives or facilitates a release.
03
Find your value
After the cases of STUDENTS A, B and C, I believe that countless people have questions about their own development. We often say that we should not delay our development time. Many students leave the team to look for new product opportunities because of obstacles in product work or slow development.
Product students will encounter three embarrassing situations in their work
First: although I am a manager, I have no real power, but I do have the source of tasks at work, so I need to arrange corresponding work
Second: professional skills. Products need to know design, development and operation, but not as deep as designers, programmers and operation managers. However, they need to negotiate and communicate with these positions to complete their work
Third: mouth cannon, do less, the treatment is not low. No matter in the review, or in the BUG tracking, the fastest way is of course to directly find the corresponding person with the mouth, so in the first and second cases, many students are eyeing the product students.
Product students should build their own product models under the above three embarrassing situations. If the best product to build, it is undoubtedly their own.
Make a Habit
This is also a requirement for myself, such as singing, dancing, running, fitness, I always believe in the relevance of things, when you stick to something, make it a habit. It’s bound to affect the work you do, and even your life.
[Photo from the Internet]
Book models for product managers
Besides working as a product manager for 3 years, BESIDES writing and sharing, I also read occasionally. One day after communicating with product friends, I got this model
Learn from books bit by bit, and add up. If project experience requires real work, these books will at least make you more professional in your communication and understand what the other person is saying.
conclusion
When product people work, whether it’s the needs of the leadership, the business, or the needs of the users, we always remember to keep communicating. Keep abreast with superiors and related personnel at all times
Even if you are making TO B products, your demand is coming from your customers. Don’t lose heart, build your own foundation, build your own T-shaped model of competence.
In addition to the product on the road to adhere to, be sure to choose an industry deep cultivation! In this industry to harvest their own products.