Who needs a product manager anyway?
The case for a Product Manager
For the most part, most mid-sized companies and larger enterprises realize the need to establish a project management office and put it in charge of constructing its products and service offerings. These companies, to various degrees of maturity use some kind of project management methodology, and a disciplined approach to project initiation through execution and closing.
The success of the project management office and of the individual project manager(s) is still largely judged by “cliché” criteria; was done on time, and on budget? The question is also often, but casually asked; did it fulfill the business purpose it was intended for?
I have seen example after example of projects that were deemed a success, jubilant celebrations were thrown, and the projects leaders were promoted and financially rewarded. Only to discover a few weeks or months later that the work produced is far from “fulfilled the business need it was intended for”. Of course, by this time the project manager has become a senior project manager and the VP have become a senior VP, and so on. Many recent experiences show this pattern over and again.
If we define a project a “temporary endeavor to construct a product”, then the natural outcome of a project is a product. Much like a project needing a project manager, the product needs a product manager. The role of the product manager is vastly different than that of the project manager. The product manager role to ensure that the product works for the business customer the way the customer intended it to be. This requires knowledge of business processes, operations, financial plans, sales, strategic business plans, as well as technology. In addition to connecting all these “dots”, the product manager plays a key role in product refinement, updates, upselling the product, and ROI calculations.
The role of the product manager is essential for the success of the ultimate goal of the initiative (that becomes a project that in turn results in a product). This role must be included in the conversation from the inception of the project, and not an afterthought, when the project is closed.