What is Product Management

Trying to Product

What is Product Management

Depending on who you ask, a product manager is either a wonderfully fuzzy job title that means many things to many people. No one can seem to agree on what product management is (or should be) and if you're just starting out in your career, take our advice: defining product management might be a frustrating exercise, but perhaps it is best to accept that the term is ambiguous by design.

In this episode, Alex and Parv will jump into what product management is. Tune in and learn more!

Key Highlights

[00:52] Misnomers used for Product Management

[01:22] The CEO of a product

[05:20] The Venn diagram’s semi-accurate Description of Product Management

[12:01] Product managers—are they similar to project managers?

[14:42] how does Alex define a product manager?

[21:58] how are product managers' daily tasks so varied?

[22:44] how product managers break walls and barriers for their teams/Unblocking

[23:27] PM as a champion of the team

[26:40] Three main lines that encompass what a product manager does

Notable Quotes

• “As a product manager, one of the most valuable skills you gain is the ability to lead and influence. But the one thing you also have to make sure as a product manager is that you are leading and influencing, but you don't hold any real authority.” [02:38]
• “So you don't sit at the center. But I feel like you kind of hover and browse through those circles simultaneously, depending on the time of the day and the meeting and the context and what you need to be thinking about.” [07:13]
• “One of the biggest misnomers is that product managers are like project managers.” [12:01]
• “The smaller the company, the more hats the pm wears, and then it doesn't really stop it product or project or marketing or design, it just you do everything as needed to be done. But as you get bigger, you have more teams that you can help leverage.”[13:04]
• “PMs are often kind of jack of all trades are genuinely curious people who always are interested in learning.” [13:46]
• “PM is one who takes the blame but passes on the praise.” [25:04]

Resources

Connect with Parv:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParvSondhi

Connect with Alex:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexcox245

Email: [e-mail]

Send us Questions

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