I’m not sure if all the other product managers out there would say the same, but it seems difficult to describe exactly what a product manager does in a concise manner for those outside of the industry. I find myself tailoring my answer depending on who I’m speaking to. When someone asks what another person does, the answer of “Doctor”, “Electrician” or similar usually result in some understanding of what the person does day to day. However, the answer of “Product Manager” tends to be a somewhat of a conversation killer!
I thought I would turn to Wikipedia, but as you’ll see, it is of little help:
“Product management is an organizational lifecycle function within a company dealing with the planning or forecasting or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle.”
While this is accurate, it’s not exactly the snappy answer we can use in the situation described above!
My name in Ben Beaumont and I have the pleasure of being the product manager for LiveCode. My guess is that most readers on the RunRev blog are relatively technical and have a good grasp of what a Product Manager does. For those who are not sure, read on.
Being a development tool, LiveCode is used by others to develop their own software products, ideally expressing their full creativity which leads them to push LiveCode in ways that, we, as its creators, never imagined. Our customers are continually pushing themselves to create market leading products. Unlike other consumer products whose users are satisfied with a static unchanging feature set, LiveCode customers need a continually evolving, cutting edge tool to help them stay ahead of the market. It is my job to ensure that we keep LiveCode moving quickly within an industry that arguably moves faster than any other.
However, before I start to give the impression the product manager is somehow the brains behind a product, let me share a little more about those who make up a product team! The development of LiveCode is the result of a large number of talented individuals whose varying gifts and passions feed into the development cycle. The team is made up of programmers, software architects, designers, marketeers, analysts and support specialists, and the job of any product manager is help those individuals to utilize their talents, ideally with the highest degree of creativity, flare and quality.
Generally, a team is effective when the individuals are clear about what they are doing, their responsibilities and how their work fits into the big picture. This requires good planning and communication which is easier said than done! Most people like to just get stuck in and let the creative juices flow and this is really where a product manager comes in. Our job is to help people plan projects that channel their creativity into areas that fit within the big picture. Each team member has to have all the information they need and be kept up to date. If we are successful all the individuals excel and these pieces come together into a product release that raises the bar in terms of features and quality. If this is true for every release you find yourself at the forefront of your industry, surely the goal of any product team! The key however, is not the product manager, but the unity and focus of all the talented team members on the ground researching, designing, developing, refining, testing and delivering the product!
Hopefully you have a little insight into the role of a product manager, any snappy job descriptions welcome!
