A short presentation on the role of a product manager. This presentation is meant for people who want to understand what product manager really does, what this role really involves. It's a funny paradox on what the role really looks from outside and what it is actually from inside.

1. Product
Management: What
everyone says and what it is actually
- Chetan Channa

2. Agenda

3. What does a Product Manager Do ?

4. The role of Product Manager
The role of product manager is to define, develop, deploy & maintain product and
services that :-
▪ Provide more value than the competition
▪ Help build a sustainable competitive advantage
▪ Deliver measurable benefit to the business

5. Let’s talk about value for a bit
Let‘s do this quick survey
1. The more features you have, the more likely you are to have the things that any
individual customer cares about. Customers expect products to keep getting
better, and the way a product keeps getting better is by adding more features.
2. Customers buy products because of the needs that the product fulfills and the
problems the product solves. Features in and of themselves are useless — they exist
to fill a need.

6. Features and Values are NOT synonymous
The job of the product manager is
to identify the minimal possible
product that meets the objectives
and provides the desired user
experience — minimizing time to
market, user and implementation
complexity.
You as a Product Manager need to
say ―no‖ and ask ―why‖. If you are
scared of saying ―No‖ just say
―Given time and money everything
is possible‖

7. The role of Product Manager
The role of product manager is to define, develop, deploy & maintain product and
services that :-
▪ Provide more value than the competition
▪ Help build a sustainable competitive advantage
▪ Deliver measurable benefit to the business

8. Now let’s talk about ‘Measurable’ benefits
You would be surprised to see
how many organizations do not
have proper analytics &
dashboard in place. They would
only have targets for high level
metrics like revenue.
So it‘s important that you
analyze, build and publish
metrics you are focussing on
with every feature you launch

9. Now let’s talk about Requirements

10. What does this Carpenter want ?

11. How the product manager sees it ?
▪ The carpenter has a problem. He needs a hole in the wall. Now he could use a
nail and a hammer or a drill. But then there are multiple factors with which the
carpenter is concerned.
▪ Speed
▪ Accuracy
▪ Safety
▪ Ease of using
▪ Reliability
▪ Price
▪ Product Managers define the problem criteria fully and this is one of the major
skills which a product manager should have.

12. But…there’s a problem
―If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.‖ Henry Ford
Product Managers define the problem criteria fully and this is one of the major skills
which a product manager should have. Eliciting hidden requirements is one of
the most important skill, a product manager should have. If you can get down to
‗real‘ requirements, consider your job 50% done

13. Let’s talk about Strategies & Roadmaps
Focussing on metrics
would only give you
short term benefits.
Instead focus on
value. Use roadmap
as a tool for saying
No to others.
And for you as a
product manager, the
strategy at most of
the times is getting
shit done.
Prioritization

14. Talking about Roadmaps – How to ?
UVs
Return
Visitors
Weight
10
4
5
60
Deals Implementation
Social Integration on Site
Establishments SRP Redesign
Restrobar Management
Emailers Enhancements
New City Launch
Review/Rating Process Re-design
Gamification
Referrer Program
4
3
2
1
3
5
1
1
4
5
4
2
2
3
4
2
4
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
4
0
60
46
28
18
42
66
33
46
52
Feature
Review Scor
s
e

15. Let’s talk about Stakeholders now - Developers
▪ Developers – They know the ins and outs of product. Product managers gather
requirements and communicate to engineering what they need to develop
▪ Reality Check - Developers know the ins and outs of product and will develop
what they want to irrespective of what is communicated to them

16. Let’s talk about Stakeholders now - Marketing
▪ Marketing – They craft the messaging. Product Managers craft the content that
marketing needs to build the campaign on.
▪ Marketing will launch a campaign and say whatever they want to irrespective
of what is communicated to them.

17. And my favourite - Sales
▪ Sales – They know how to sell the product. Product Managers are focused on
market needs whereas sales are focused on specific customers need.
▪ Sales will sell whatever features they want to make their quota irrespective of
what is communicated to them.

18. In the end, this is what every PM should do
▪ Communicate everything
▪ Document everything
▪ Listen to everyone
▪ Question everyone
▪ Measure everything
▪ Be good with everyone
▪ Be right & not good to succeed

19. Thanks