We conducted a study on the state of product management in India: what activities are product managers involved with, what their biggest challenges are, and how they are equipping themselves on the road to product success. The survey was administered online using a structured questionnaire with practicing product managers (PMs) across companies of different sizes participating in it.

1. The State of Product Management in India 2012
Confianzys Consulting Pvt Ltd

2. Objective of the Survey:
 Understand and improve Product Management
Ecosystem in India
 Help address the practical challenges (both internal
and external) faced by Product Management
practitioners
 How are Product Managers equipping themselves
on the road to product success
Sample Size:
 Survey sent to 200+ Product Managers
 100 responded (Qualitative and Quantitative data)

3. Data Analysis

4. Product Managers involved in New Product Launch:
Product Launch
13.21%
Yes
No
86.79%
Insight: Most of the Product Managers have taken part in product
conceptualization, building and launching of products
Source: www.confianzys.com

5. Product Manager’s Launch Success
Product Success
45.28%
50%
45%
40%
35% 26.42%
30%
25%
15.09% 13.21%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Highly Successful Successful Can be better Not yet launched
Insight: Many of the product managers feel that their recently launched product
could have been more successful in the market. This may be accounted to many
external / internal challenges and the nascent stage of Product Management in
India
Source: www.confianzys.com

6. Product Manager’s Contribution
Key Deliverables
50%
40%
25.24% 26.21%
30% 22.33% 21.36%
20%
10% 4.85%
0%
Business Case Market Market Plan Product Road Others
Requirements Map
Insight: Product Mangers in India are beginning to spend more time on defining the
right problems rather than rushing to wrong solutions/products.
Source: www.confianzys.com

7. Product Management function in the Organization
Product Management resides in
43%
50%
40% 32%
30%
19%
20%
6%
10%
0%
Corporate Marketing Engineering Others
Function
Insight: Few companies assign product management as a corporate function,
indicating that companies are yet to give product management a key role and treat it
as a separate entity that communicates directly with other teams.
Source: www.confianzys.com

8. Key Roadblocks - Internal
Top Internal Challenges
50%
40%
30% 22%
16% 17%
20% 12% 13%
11% 9%
10% 1%
0%
Insight: Role definition and implementation as well as knowledge related
challenges were the top internal challenges faced by most Product Managers.
This indicates that the increase in the awareness of what PM’s role in the
organization is a must.
Source: www.confianzys.com

9. Key Roadblocks - External
Top External Challenges
50%
40%
30% 22%
16% 17%
15%
20% 10% 11% 8%
10% 1%
0%
Insights: Most respondents felt conducting Market Research, validating
Market opportunities and articulating Market Needs & prioritizing Customer
needs were the external challenges faced by them.
Source: www.confianzys.com

10. Market-Centric Measures Adopted
How to overcome the challenges?
50%
40%
30% 24%
19%
18%
17%
20%
13%
9%
10%
0%
Market Driven Structured PM Tools Skills Executive Validated
Methodology Processes Support Learning
With more emphasis given to market driven methodology, tools, skills and
structured PM processes to overcome challenges, this indicate the need for PM
training in the Indian market. Given that many product managers move into the
space from engineering, there is value in learning to become market-centric and
approach product management in the right way
Source: www.confianzys.com

11. Priority “Impact Pillars” for Improvement
Areas of Improvement
50%
40% 29.67% 28.57%
23.08%
30%
18.68%
20%
10%
0%
Market Customer Process Business Value and
Opportunities Understanding Standardization evangelization
Examination
Most Product Managers felt that they needed immediate improvements in
market opportunity identification, customer needs understanding and
process adoption indicating the fact that they wanted to take more
responsibilities pertaining to understand the market and the customers
Source: www.confianzys.com

12. Scientific Pricing Methodology Adopted
24.53%
Yes
75.47% No
Not having any scientific pricing methodology would be an
alarming concern for the product’s success and further roadmaps.
Source: www.confianzys.com

13. Formal Product Performance Review Mechanism
45.28%
54.72% Yes
No
A formal review process for Product Management is institutionalized in
many product companies across India. Still a wide spread adoption is
yet to be seen
Source: www.confianzys.com

14. Thank You!!
To know more, visit
http://www.confianzys.com/blog/index.php/2012/06/27/the-
state-of-product-management-in-india-2012/ /
Contact us at engage@confianzys.com or 080 4084 7500