tech product management best practices

TLDR

TLDR
  • The success of a product is determined by its performance and quality throughout its entire life cycle.
  • Product management is a very complicated role.

    Product managers conduct market research, manage product development, supervise the teams working on solutions, and coordinate product launches.

16 Best Product Management Practices

  • Align the vision of the product and its strategy with the company's objectives.
  • The development team should understand the overall goal that they are working toward.
  • Use a variety of differentiators and a strong differentiation strategy to make your product stand out from the competition.
  • The best way to understand customer needs is by collecting feedback directly from users in the app.
  • Interviewing different users to understand their needs can be a great way to assess how the product fits them.

    You can improve the usability of your product and increase adoption by using customer interviews.

  • Sales and Customer Success teams constantly contact their customers, which means they collect data.

    Make sure that you've got a good system for sharing such information.

  • Public roadmaps are a great way to gather feature requests and show your users you care about their feedback.
  • They can help you understand how your users interact with your product and what they need to achieve.

    These analytics are particularly useful when combined with feedback from users.

  • To classify and prioritize backlog items, use a scoring system such as the Cost of Delay.
  • The use of user stories helps teams to gain a common understanding of the users, their problems, and the solutions they can provide.

    Let your team take part in the development of their stories and map.

  • Validating ideas with prototyping and tests is necessary before building features.

    It prevents you from wasting time and resources developing features that aren't working.

  • Focus on solving the problem instead of focusing on features.

    Only build features that solve your users' pain points, and add value.

  • Conduct regular PMF studies to determine if your product is still market-fit.
  • The UI of a product isn't enough to encourage feature adoption.

    It can be enhanced with in-app contextual guidance tailored to specific user segments.

  • Don't be afraid to retire features that are no longer needed.

What Does A Product Manager Do?

What Does A Product Manager Do?

Technical product managers are responsible for ensuring the success of a product. This is done by working with teams that are involved in the product's development, sales, marketing, and support.

Technical product managers are more advanced in their engineering and design abilities than typical managers.

Product managers tend to be more outward-looking, interviewing customers and collaborating with other teams to make plans for going to market and conducting competitive analysis.

Technical product managers, who have backgrounds in software engineering or computer science, work closely with the engineering and design team to determine product capabilities and features.

It's not just product managers with technical backgrounds who do technical work. They are a person in product management roles that has a background in technology as opposed to a background from a business perspective.

Some companies, depending on the scope and size of the product they are building, might employ a product and technical manager.

This way, one manager is responsible for coordinating business, and the other person will be in charge of the technical aspects of the build. Some companies prefer a single product manager to be responsible for all aspects of product development, including the why and how.

Take a look at the job description below if you are considering hiring a product manager. The role of product management involves overseeing the success of a product.

It involves managing multi-functional teams and overseeing the entire product lifecycle. This starts with market research and ends with the product launch. But it doesn't stop there. The product manager is responsible for the continuous incremental improvement of the products to make sure they remain relevant.

The Product Manager's Roles and Goals

The Product Manager's Roles and Goals

The job description for a technical product manager will look very much like that of a product manager. It is the background and experience that the employer wants to see in the applicant.

If you run a SaaS company, for example, you will probably need a product manager who has design and engineering expertise.

If you manufacture audio equipment, however, you would want someone with experience in building both hardware and software. This is an example of a job description that we have taken from Amazon Robotics.

We are looking for a motivated and innovative Technical Product Manager to manage a multi-team project portfolio by understanding the business needs, managing change, eliminating roadblocks, and communicating with various functional groups.

You will be expected to anticipate bottlenecks and provide escalation by understanding stakeholder needs and constraints.

It is expected that you will clearly communicate your goals, roles, and responsibilities to teams from different departments. You'll help identify, prioritize, and advocate for large opportunities and create and manage new efficiency opportunities.

SaaS Product Managers should focus on building products that deliver value to customers and provide a delightful user experience.

Product managers are usually required to:

  • Conduct market and customer studies.
  • Identify user needs and evaluate solutions.
  • Develop product strategy and vision.
  • Set meaningful goals
  • Prioritize features and develop product roadmaps.
  • predict future development timelines.
  • Definition of technical requirements.
  • Analyze and collect feedback from users and data about product usage.
  • Identify opportunities to increase customer satisfaction.
  • Manage the product team, and communicate with all stakeholders.

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The Technical Product Manager's Roles

The Technical Product Manager's Roles

These are the main tasks that technical product managers perform daily.

Product Vision Management

The product manager is responsible for bringing the vision of the product to life once the owner has done so. The product manager should address any questions or concerns about the blueprint and review the backlog of products for confusion.

Clarifying any gray areas is important, as later on, changing features can be expensive and time-consuming. The more you communicate the vision of the product, the better chance they have to design it correctly.

Product Roadmaps Are A Great Way To Create A Product

A product manager's most important job is creating the product roadmap. The product roadmap is the game plan that will be used to build the product.

It is built on the vision of the product. The roadmap includes tasks to be performed by each employee and team, their deadlines, and their impact on business objectives.

Once complete, the product manager will share this document with the entire development team. The technical product manager will pass the roadmap to the ScrumMaster if you are working with Scrum.

The ScrumMaster would make recommendations on how to overcome potential roadmaps and suggest ways they can be made more efficient.

Market Research

Market research is a major part of product management. Technical product managers interview customers less often than their counterparts.

They connect instead with the engineering and design team to gather feedback about existing company products. They can relate to these suggestions because they are technical, and they know how to translate them to stakeholders that may not be as familiar with the product.

Here's the uniqueness of this role. They often find themselves in a position where they have to compromise between customers and the product development team.

If, for example, the engineering team recommends removing a particular feature, the product manager will have to decide whether it is worth it. The success of a product is heavily dependent on these judgments.

Also Read: Are Product Owners and Product Managers the Same

Collaboration With The Scrum Master And Product Owner

Technical product managers need to communicate regularly with product owners and scrum masters throughout the development process.

The technical product manager should ask about the vision of the product, provide regular updates, and make sure everyone understands the timelines and tasks. Clear communication is key for a successful and efficient process.

Risk Assessment

There are risks in product development that can threaten your product. Roadblocks can cause delays in timelines and force businesses to invest more money.

If the issue is not resolved, your business may have to stop operations until it's fixed.

The product manager should assess the risk of the project and guide the team to avoid roadblocks, if at all possible.

They should work to anticipate problems and come up with sustainable solutions if they can't. You'll save time during product development if they act quickly.

Team Leader

A product manager can be successful in any area. Still, their success depends on how well they network with other professionals and teams to ensure everyone is working together towards the same goal.

A product manager must be able to lead meetings, organize spreadsheets and motivate the team, whether they are responsible for marketing launch plans or shipping codes.

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You Can Build Better Products By Following These 16 Agile Product Management Practices

You Can Build Better Products By Following These 16 Agile Product Management Practices

What makes brilliant product managers different from the average? Take a look below at 16 product management for best project managers that aren't limited to the software industry:

  • Product strategy must always be aligned with your business goals and product vision.
  • Aligning your team of developers around common objectives.
  • Differentiation of products is essential for product managers.
  • Continuous discovery is an important part of product strategy.
  • In-app feedback from users can be collected to better understand the customer needs.
  • Interview different user types.
  • More data should be collected from sales and the customer satisfaction team.
  • Public roadmaps can be used to capture customer feedback.
  • Analyze product usage to better understand customer interactions with your product.
  • Use an internal scoring system to prioritize the product roadmap.
  • Aligning product teams with User Stories.
  • Test prototypes and features before construction.
  • Avoid the fallacy of features.
  • Track product market fit regularly.
  • Do not rely solely on the UI of your product to encourage feature adoption.
  • The right sunset features.

Product Strategy Must Always Be Aligned With Your Business Goals And Product Vision

A product vision is the foundation of all great products. It is the aspiration you have for your product and what your team aims to accomplish in the future.

However, product vision does not exist by itself. To begin with, the product vision should be derived from company goals. Internal stakeholders will not support your product if it doesn't achieve company goals.

The product vision is also the driving force behind the strategy. The product strategy defines the goals and how to achieve them.

This shows the way you plan to achieve your vision.

Aligning Your Team Of Developers Around Common Objectives

Product managers are responsible for setting goals. The first step is to choose the North Star Metric that will guide your team's work throughout the entire development process.

What KPIs and OKRs do you need? Separate vanity metrics from relevant metrics. When you have decided on your objectives and the way you will measure progress, ensure that all members of your team understand and are familiar with them.

Differentiation Of Products Is Essential For Product Managers

You need to tell your clients how your products are different from what is available in the marketplace, whether you have a single product or an entire line.

Businesses can use product differentiation to improve their customer's experience, increase customer loyalty, and even charge higher prices. What can you do to differentiate your product from others?

The most efficient way to differentiate their products is by using a combination of horizontal and vertical differentiation strategies.

Differentiators can include features, design, price, quality, and customer service.

Continuous Discovery Is An Important Part Of Product Strategy

Product managers' work doesn't end when the product is launched. It's actually when the real work begins. You can improve the product by releasing your MVP.

You must also never stop iterating to stay abreast of changes. This is why continuous discovery should be a key part of any product strategy. Teresa Torres' framework for continuous discovery can help you learn more.

You can use the framework for continuous discovery and other tools, such as the opportunity solution tree, to make sure that your problems and solutions align with the goals of your business.

In-App Feedback From Users Can Be Collected To Better Understand The Customer Needs

It's not necessary to explain why you should collect user feedback. It lets you gain insights into user requirements and the best way to serve them.

The easiest way to get user feedback is through in-app surveys.

Take a tool such as Coders. Dev and design a questionnaire. Then, trigger the survey contextually - for instance, after a user completes a certain action.

These surveys work best when they are followed by qualitative questions. This will help you better understand how the product is meeting user needs. It's a good idea also to collect feedback passively.

How? Give users the chance to cancel at any time.

Interview Different Users Types

Interviews with users are a great way to conduct user research or usability tests. You can use them to understand the needs of different users and groups.

These surveys are also a great way to identify friction points that could hinder the adoption of new features. These can reveal when it's time to make a pivot.

It's an opportunity for top product managers who have invested heavily in their products to get unbiased feedback.

For user interviews to be effective, the purpose must be clear. Invite the correct people and make sure to explain what information you want from them and why.

More Data Should Be Collected From Sales And The Customer Satisfaction Team

Sales and Customer Success teams can provide valuable insight because they can access the users. Sales teams are usually very knowledgeable about the expectations of users and direct competitors.

This information is useful for reviewing your product strategies.

Customer support and success teams will, however, have more information on issues users are facing, as well as how to improve these.

It could help you identify areas of friction and improve the in-app instructions to increase activation.

Give your teams the tools they need to communicate effectively. Use your CRM and specialist software, such as Gong, in addition to messenger apps like Slack.

Public Roadmaps Can Be Used To Capture Customer Feedback

A public roadmap is a good way to gather feature ideas. This kind of roadmap can be created with Kanban project management tools like Trello and Notion.

You create in the program a structure that corresponds with your workflow. For example, 'Now Next Later.'

Users can submit their suggestions in a category called "Feature Requests." Allow users to rate and vote on items.

This will make the site more interactive. Public roadmaps not only capture feature ideas but also communicate with users exactly what you are working on and your priority.

They also send the message to users that you're willing to take user feedback seriously and act upon it.

Analyze Product Usage To Better Understand Customer Interactions With Your Product

Users are often unable to express their needs or don't even know how they can improve. Feedback should be combined with tracking product usage to gain additional insight.

You can use an NPS to identify your best promoters. You then observe how the promoters interact with your product and what features they are using.

Compare it with the critics' habits and search for any differences. You can then use the in-app instructions to guide the detractors through the activation process.

Use An Internal Scoring System To Prioritize The Product Roadmap

How can you decide which features should be developed first? There are several common frameworks for prioritization that will help you.

Moscow, for example. Team members choose which features MUST be in the final product.

The Kano Model has a similar structure. The Kano Model categorizes the features into three categories: Basics (which the product should have), Satisfiers (which are to be added to increase value), and Delighters, which will exceed the user's expectations.

You may want to prioritize features more precisely using a system like Cost of Delay.

Aligning Product Teams With User Stories

The user stories provide information on the users, the solutions, and the benefits they will receive. The product owner or manager (as in Scrum) usually writes user stories, but the team's involvement is much more valuable.

Story mapping helps you to ensure that the entire team understands what you are trying to solve and why.

Test Prototypes And Features Before Construction

Test your feature thoroughly before you build it. It's possible that we can't separate ourselves enough from our own ideas in order to spot potential problems.

Our team might also be unable to foresee problems because they tend to look at everything the same.

Prototype testing can save you money, time, and even possibly your job or reputation. Even a low-fidelity, basic prototype may be sufficient to eliminate an idea.

Avoid The Fallacy Of Features

Some teams evaluate their success by how many features they have released. Some teams are under pressure to release certain features because they have been requested by customers or competitors.

The problem is many of these features do not solve specific problems for users. They can help build an equal product with no advantage over your competitors.

Focus on the outcomes and not the outputs to avoid being caught in a feature-fallacy trap. Look for ways to meet a specific need.

Track Product Market Fit Regularly

The fact that your product and market fit is good doesn't guarantee its retention. You may lose your market position if new customer demands or competitors emerge.

Test product-market regularly fits to avoid this. In-app, you can easily conduct the PMF survey. Ask your users if it would make them disappointed if the product was not available again.

You'll need to work harder if less than 40% say they are "very disappointed." The PMF survey can be used to help determine how you should adjust your strategy to remain relevant.

Do Not Rely Solely On The Ui Of Your Product To Encourage Feature Adoption

Even if your interface is brilliant, your users may still experience friction. This prevents them from appreciating the value of your product and reduces adoption.

In-app assistance is the antidote. Hotspots, tooltips, and models can be used to show users existing features and encourage them to activate them.

You can create in-app guides without having to code anything using a tool such as Coders. Dev. Then, trigger these contextually for your different user segments.

The Right Sunset Features

It's never an easy task to sunset features, especially when you or your team has put a great deal of work into them.

It's not always possible, but it happens. The user issue that was solved by the feature may no longer exist, and engagement will drop. You may develop functionality to solve the problem more effectively, and this becomes redundant.

Track how your users interact with the features you offer, and if it seems to be dropping off, try to find out why.

You can pull out the plug if you cannot improve the feature or continue to sell the product. This will allow your team to focus on more important features.

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Conclusion

A list of best practices in product management can be a great way to identify improvements you could make within your company.

What will be the most significant difference for your product from these practices? Book a demo to find out how Coders. Dev helps you build better products and become more effective product & project managers.

Paul
Full Stack Developer

Paul is a highly skilled Full Stack Developer with a solid educational background that includes a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Software Engineering, as well as a decade of hands-on experience. Certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and Agile Scrum Master bolster his knowledge. Paul's excellent contributions to the software development industry have garnered him a slew of prizes and accolades, cementing his status as a top-tier professional. Aside from coding, he finds relief in her interests, which include hiking through beautiful landscapes, finding creative outlets through painting, and giving back to the community by participating in local tech education programmer.

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