Tips to Succeed as a New Product Manager

Product managers (PMs) are often the driving force behind successful products. The PM is sometimes referred to as the “CEO of product” because they are responsible for leading teams from a product’s conception through to its launch.

The PM role is a complex and challenging one. PMs must be able to wear many hats, including working as business analysts, strategists, marketers, and project managers. They also need to understand how to effectively communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, from customers to engineers and executives.

What does it take to succeed as a new product manager? Becoming an effective PM requires a deep understanding of the role and its many responsibilities, as well as the resources available to aspiring PMs. New product managers can further increase their odds of success by following a detailed road map for their first 30 and 90 days in the role.

Understanding the Role of a Product Manager

“Product managers are the translators between the customer and the engineering team,” writes Dan Olsen, author of “The Lean Product Playbook,” highlighting the importance of product managers in the product development process.

Product managers are responsible for understanding the customer, defining the product vision, and developing a product road map that will meet the customer’s needs — while simultaneously collaborating with teams of back-end engineering experts to build and refine the product.

Product Manager Role and Responsibilities

A product manager’s roles and responsibilities are varied and far-reaching. PMs need to craft products that align with the business strategy, leverage the right technology, and, perhaps most importantly, meet the needs of customers. In this way, the PM role requires a comprehensive knowledge of business, technology, and user experience.

Here are some of the key responsibilities of a product manager:

  • Understand customer needs: PMs must have a comprehensive understanding of what their customers’ needs and pain points are. This information is used to define the product vision and develop the product road map.
  • Define the product vision: The product vision is a high-level statement of what the product will achieve. It should be clear, concise, and inspiring.
  • Create a product road map: A product road map is a blueprint for a product’s development, capturing the vision behind the product and laying out the process for completing it. This road map should be flexible, so that changes can be made if necessary.
  • Manage the product development process: PMs work with cross-functional teams to bring products to market, from engineers to salespeople. They must be able to effectively manage the product development process and the various teams involved.
  • Communicate the product vision to stakeholders: PMs are responsible for communicating the product vision to various stakeholders, including engineers and executives.
  • Measure the success of the product: Using data analysis, PMs track the success of the product and make necessary adjustments.

Product Manager: First 30 Days

The first 30 days as a new product manager are crucial. During this period, successful PMs focus on understanding the company, the product, its customers, and their team. Here’s a template for what a product manager’s first 30 days on the job should look like:

Week 1: Understand the Company and the ProductA product manager sits in front of a laptop at a desk, writing in a notebook with a pencil.

During their first week, a new PM should dive into understanding the company and the product. New PMs can start by familiarizing themselves with the company’s mission, vision, and values to get a sense of its direction, followed by studying the product portfolio.

For new PMs, it’s crucial to gain a thorough understanding of the business model of the company and how the product fits into it. PMs must analyze the product metrics to understand the key performance indicators (KPIs) and review the product’s past performance, if available. New PMs should also take some time to review the competitive landscape — the product will need to stand out against others on the market, so researching similar products is vital.

Week 2: Get to Know the Team and Stakeholders

Moving into week two, a new PM’s focus should shift to getting to know their team and the various stakeholders they’ll be working with. New PMs can begin by meeting with their team to get a better sense of each member’s role and responsibilities. Regular team meetings also establish open lines of communication and foster a sense of trust.

Next, new PMs should identify the key stakeholders within the product development process and understand their roles and expectations. It can also be beneficial to spend a day shadowing a team member or other stakeholder to gain firsthand insight into their work processes and challenges.

Setting up regular check-ins with team members and stakeholders is a great way for new PMs to keep themselves updated on the progress of a project and stay ahead of potential issues.

Week 3: Understand Customers

In week three, a new PM’s goal should be to understand their customers. They can start by reviewing previous customer research reports to get a handle on the needs, pain points, and behaviors of their customers.

New PMs can also gain invaluable insights by interacting with customers through surveys, interviews, or social media. By analyzing product reviews and customer feedback, a new PM can identify areas where improvement is needed. Based on this analysis, they can define customer personas to represent different user types, which can be helpful in designing features and strategies.

Week 4: Refine the Product Road Map and Prioritize Tasks

In the fourth week, new PMs should focus on refining the product road map and prioritizing tasks. They should begin by evaluating the existing product road map and assessing the relevance of planned features and improvements.

To do this, a new PM may use a prioritization framework, like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort) or MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have this time), to determine which features and tasks to focus on. At this stage, new PMs should also set their short- and long-term goals.

Lastly, they should develop a backlog of tasks, keeping it updated as tasks are completed and new ones emerge.

Product Manager: First 90 Days

A product manager’s first 90 days are also crucial, as it’s during this period that the groundwork for future success is often laid. With around three months’ time, new PMs will need to analyze a product’s performance, create a strategic vision, communicate their plan to stakeholders, and — crucially — implement it.

Days 1-30: Learn and Connect

The first 30 days as a PM is the time to do a deep product dive. New product managers should get to know their product inside and out: the product’s history, its benefits and drawbacks, its many uses, and its current status compared to other products on the market and in development.

New PMs should also learn about their customers. Through customer interviews, support tickets (requests from customers to assist them when the product functions improperly), and other forms of user feedback, a PM can build a comprehensive understanding of their users’ needs, pain points, and desires.

Finally, the first month of a PM’s job should be spent building the foundations for successful relationships. During this period, PMs must begin to gain the trust and support of the engineers, managers, and executives involved in product development.

Days 31-60: Plan and Strategize

A PM’s second month should be devoted to developing a product vision and road map.

A product vision is a strategic, long-term goal for a product or product line. It describes the future state or the end goal that the product aims to achieve. It’s essentially the “why” behind the existence of the product and serves as a guiding beacon for its development.

In addition to a product vision, PMs need to develop a product road map. The product road map outlines the product development process as well as any major features or enhancements the PM plans to implement. It should align with the product vision and be driven by customer needs and business goals. Additionally, it will identify the KPIs that will be used to measure product success.

Days 61-90: Communicate and Implement

In their third month, new PMs should communicate their product plan to stakeholders, begin implementing the plan, and make course corrections as needed.

In general, within the first 90 days, new PMs should:

  • Share their product vision, road map, and KPIs with the team and key stakeholders. This communication should be clear and convincing, inspiring buy-in from everyone involved.
  • Begin implementing the product plan. This involves working closely with the development team to define requirements, prioritize tasks, and guide the development process.
  • Monitor performance against their KPIs. PMs should be ready to make adjustments as necessary based on customer feedback and data.

The timing and order of these steps may need to be adjusted based on particular business or product needs. What’s most critical is for new PMs to approach their role methodically, with a focus on strategy, collaboration, and continual improvement.

Product Manager Checklist: 7 Tips for New Product Managers

By following some key tips — and referring to some helpful resources — new product managers can set themselves up for success. The following product manager checklist can serve as a helpful guide for PMs who are just starting out, helping them navigate challenges and seize opportunities.

Tip 1: Develop a Product Vision

Product management begins with a clear and compelling product vision. A product vision not only guides every decision from product development to marketing, but it also adds a sense of purpose to a product’s journey and brings coherence to the work of different teams, ensuring everyone is working toward the same goals. To create a powerful vision for their product, PMs can explore resources such as:

Tip 2: Adopt a Customer-Centric Approach

The heart of successful product management lies in a customer-centric approach. A PM who puts their customers front and center will always strive to understand and satisfy their needs. This means listening to customers, involving them in product development, and using their feedback to guide decisions. This approach can lead to a product that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations.

For support in adopting a customer-centric approach, PMs can refer to the following resources:

  • Forbes’ “What Is Customer Centricity?”: This article explains the concept of customer centricity and outlines best practices for adopting a customer-centric mindset.
  • Scaled Agile’s Customer Centricity: This deep dive into customer centricity provides research insights and recommendations for designing with customer engagement, whole product thinking, and market rhythms in mind.
  • Customer-Centric Strategy from SuperOffice: This blog describes best practices for becoming more customer-centric and outlines ways to measure customer-centric company success.
  • “8 Tips for Becoming a Customer-Centric Organization” by HubSpot: This blog lays out eight concrete ideas for developing a customer-centric business strategy, along with examples from successful customer-centric companies.

Tip 3: Tailor Communication to Stakeholders

PMs work with many departments in an organization, including engineering, design, marketing, and sales. Each of these stakeholders will have different perspectives, needs, and levels of understanding. As such, it’s crucial for PMs to tailor their communication style and messaging to each stakeholder. Effective communication ensures everyone is on the same page, improving collaboration and increasing the odds of success.

Resources for tailoring communication include:

Tip 4: Build Strong Relationships

Relationships are the bedrock of successful product management. A PM should strive to be open, respectful, and responsive. Building strong relationships across an organization and with external partners can enable effective collaboration and conflict management. Good relationships also build trust, which can pave the way for smoother product development and launch processes.

For help with building strong professional relationships as a new product manager, consider the following resources:

Tip 5: Learn to Prioritize

Prioritization is a vital skill for a PM. Not all goals are created equal, and it’s important to balance the impact, cost, reach, and effort associated with each. To better understand how to manage and prioritize work, PMs can refer to the following resources:

  • ProductPlan’s RICE Scoring Model: This guide explains the RICE (reach, impact, confidence, and effort) scoring model and how to use it.
  • TechTarget’s MoSCoW Method: This resource explains the MoSCoW (must have, should have, could have, and will not have) Method and how to use it to prioritize work.
  • How to Approach Your First 30-60-90 Days as a Product Manager from UserVoice: This guide offers advice for succeeding in a new PM role, including tips on what to prioritize during the first 30, 60, and 90 days.

Tip 6: Leverage Data

Data is a product manager’s best friend. Understanding and leveraging data is key to tracking performance, measuring success, making informed decisions, and crafting strategies that can convince stakeholders. Tools like customer surveys, user testing, and analytics can provide invaluable insights, informing the direction of the product and business.

Tip 7: Adapt and Keep Learning

The world of product management is constantly evolving. PMs should always be ready to learn and adapt. Continually upgrading one’s skills and staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies can help ensure new PMs remain effective and impactful in their role. Remember, continuous learning is not just about personal growth, it’s also about delivering the best value to customers.

Achieve Success as a New Product Manager

Product management is a multifaceted role, requiring a balance of technical, business, and people skills. Successful product managers must craft a compelling vision for their product, nurture a customer-centric approach, communicate effectively with various stakeholders, and leverage data to drive decisions.

A PM’s leadership is crucial to successful product development. Fortunately, new product managers can leverage a host of resources and best practices to help them excel in their role.

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