In simple terms, product people bridge the gap between the demands of users and the business. To fulfill their responsibilities, product professionals need to understand consumers, seeking opportunities for strategic development; and, at the same time, meet the needs of the business, being accountable for the results.
In a product management methodology, the daily work routine is cyclical. Thus, delivery is a means, and the product, ideally, never reaches its end. Management is constant, always seeking new opportunities and following new strategies, which directly influences the business’s revenue.
In this article, expert Murylo Schulttais offers a clear overview of career opportunities in product management and how to align your current skills with market needs, considering the roles and responsibilities of product managers in companies.
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Organization of responsibilities and roles
Based on the model presented by Marty Cagan at the “Mind the Product” conference in London (2016), product responsibilities are divided into three layers: administrative backlog, roadmap management and product manager. Check out how each layer is divided:
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Administrative backlog
Typically run by Product Owners (POs), this is the layer that ensures the requirements of what and how to build. It is related to the backlog, and the ability to collaborate with the development team and track releases.
Roadmap Management
It involves planning deliveries, defining people, problems and needs. This skill is related to the ability to be the guardian of the “user’s voice”, in addition to acting in failure management.
Product Manager
In general, these are the people who develop the “product vision” and influence market theses to define strategies. Deliverables include portfolio management, user segmentation and competitive analysis.
As you can see, the responsibilities of product managers are quite broad and directly impact the success and innovation of the product. Therefore, it is necessary for specialists in the field to be versatile and able to deal with challenges that go beyond their specialty.
This versatility, increasingly required in the market, gave rise to the training of T-Shaped professionals, related to the T-shaped career. If you don’t know what a T-Shaped product manager is, stay with us, as this is the next topic of our article.
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T-Shaped Product Manager
The concept of T-Shaped Product Manager does not only refer to the product field, it is a visual structure that represents the set of knowledge with useful tools to solve problems in a specific professional area.
The origin of this concept dates back to McKinsey & Company in the 1980s, where the idea of a professional with in-depth knowledge in a specific area (the vertical bar of the T) and general knowledge in several other areas (the horizontal bar of the T) was initially developed.
In the product context, the vertical part of the T represents a set of more specialized skills and knowledge that are essential for solving product management problems. The horizontal part encompasses disciplines that a product specialist should be able to contribute to and gain insights from.
Want a practical example? Imagine a Product Manager who, in addition to knowledge about the stages and development of the product, also has knowledge about data and design, for example.
In other words, the T-shaped approach maps the breadth and depth of knowledge in different subjects. According to Murylo, this methodology helps identify the most urgent skills and areas of study, making it easier to choose jobs that are compatible with the profile.
Skills sought after in Product Manager
The skills that set product managers apart from other professionals include:
Strategic Vision: Defining the product’s vision and mission is important for its long-term success.
Market and business strategy: Ensuring that the product is self-sustainable and generates ongoing value. This involves setting realistic strategic objectives, as well as the ability to identify market opportunities for growth.
Know your users: Encourage testing of assumptions about user problems through methods such as agile and reliable. It is also important to adopt a user-centric culture, applying marketing strategies to reach specific markets.
Product Ownership: Know the product in depth to be able to manage the strategy and teams safely, being able to decide priorities quickly.
UI/UX Design: Encourage teams to develop experiences and interfaces that enable seamless interactions with the product, while maintaining a customer-centric culture.
Product Analytics and Metrics: Work with quantitative metrics to improve product efficiency and generate insights, mobilizing a culture with data-driven decision-making.
Team Leadership: Being able to lead teams with respect and empathy, motivating teams efficiently.
Additionally, it is important to develop soft skills that are crucial to success in product management. These skills include:
Creativity : Ability to think outside the box and find innovative solutions to complex problems.
Communication : Ability to convey ideas clearly and effectively to different audiences.
Critical Thinking: Analyze situations objectively and make well-founded decisions.
Collaboration: Working well in a team and being able to contribute positively to the work environment.
Continuous Learning: Commitment to constant personal and professional development.
Did you like the content? Then share it with your network. The Product People class , with expert Murylo Schulttais, offers a clear view of career opportunities in the product management area and how to align your current skills with market needs.
Tera students have access to the full class content, which is part of the Product Management Fundamentals course , focused on developing skills for Digital Product Leadership .
Download the program and see how we can help you advance further in your career.
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