Unveiling the Ultimate Superpower of Product Managers
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Written by Marcia Otto
It was trendy a few years ago to ask in an interview “If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?” I wanted to answer “the ability to fly” because that sounds fun and useful for a superhero, but I knew that the purpose of the question was to identify one’s greatest strength.
Let’s look at some of the main responsibilities of a product manager that could be a superpower.
Conducting research. Product managers identify industry trends, conduct competitive analyses, obtain feedback from clients, prospects, and users, and evaluate the requirements of incoming RFPs (Request for Proposals). Good research is critical to ensure a product-market fit. Still that is only one piece of the puzzle.
Documenting requirements. Product managers document personas, user journeys, and user stories. These requirements are then used by UI/UX to create delightful, sticky user experiences and by developers/QA to build and test the product. Research is needed to know what requirements to document.
Creating a roadmap and prioritization. Product managers develop roadmaps that outline the product's trajectory, priorities, and evolution over time but also emphasize enhancing the user experience. You need both research and requirements for the roadmap and its prioritization.
Launching on time and on budget. Product managers need to be able to execute on all of their strategies.
Obviously a product manager's role is multi-faceted. From conducting research to documenting requirements, creating roadmaps, and ensuring timely and budget-friendly launches, the responsibilities are diverse and demanding. Each aspect is indispensable, yet none stand alone as the ultimate superpower.
A crucial aspect to understand is that a product manager doesn’t operate in isolation. A product manager needs to be able to influence and align multiple stakeholders including, including sales, account managers, clients, users, senior executives, UX/UI, developers/QA, marketing, legal, operations, training, billing, project management, and InfoSec to build and launch a product successfully. The ability to align and influence multiple stakeholders is how a product manager truly defines their prowess. Without this collaborative spirit, even the most brilliant strategies remain mere concepts, unable to materialize into impactful products.
In the end, in the realm of product management, it's not about individual superpowers, but rather the collective strength of collaboration and alignment that drives success.
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