The whole field of technology Product Management is new and poorly defined. Different companies define and implement it differently. It can be confusing, frustrating and downright depressing if you end up in the wrong organization. This talk discusses the history of Product Management and explains how it can be defined, implemented and staffed for success.

1. Product Leaders
Why Product Management is hard
and
How you can become a better
Product Leader
Saeed Khan
http://www.onproductmanagement.net
@saeedwkhan

2. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
What is Product
Management?

3. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
Building
“insanely
great
products”

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“…the fusion
between
technology…
and the
business
side…”

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What do Product
Managers do?
(try to keep it short )
Exercise

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http://www.productfocus.com/blog/archives/129

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What is your
Definition of Product
Management?
Exercise

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LinkedIn – Networking PM Group

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The Bad……

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The Strange……

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The Better……

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Origins of Product
Management

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How to compete with a dominant brand?
1931

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How to compete with a dominant brand?
Launched in 1879 Launched in 1926

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McElroy Memo
• Neil McElroy managed
Camay soap brand at P&G
in the 1930s
• Frustrated with having to
compete with Ivory soap
(leading brand)
• Proposed (and won approval
for) significant changes in
how “brands” were managed

22. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
McElroy Memo
Where the product is
selling, understand why
and repeat in other
territories where
appropriate.
Request and
justification to hire
additional staff.
Apparently even
then, “Brand Men”
were doing other
people’s work! 

23. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
McElroy Memo
Identify weak
locations, formulate a
plan to address the
local problem.
Ensure the investment
has a reasonable
return.
Work with sales teams
to define and
implement the plan.
Track and measure
results against plan.

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McElroy Memo
Take responsibility
for success of
product by optimizing
locally (territories) so
that Management
can implement
company strategy in
a broader fashion.

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McElroy memo
Hire additional staff
to focus on field
studies to monitor
product success.
This allows brand
men to focus on
higher level tasks.

26. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
McElroy Memo - In summary
• Gain field knowledge, identify problems and implement
solutions
• Perform sales and product “analytics”
• Create differentiated roles – Brand Man, Assistant Brand
Man, Group Products Checkup Man – to help the brand
team scale.
• Brand “men” focus on ensuring programs are
implemented and working at “local” level so that
management can focus on higher level tasks.
• In short, business/product success through sales channel
optimization.
26

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The Business Function responsible
for defining and delivering
Products (Services or Solutions) that
provide Business Results that meet
(or exceed) Company Objectives
throughout the Product Lifecycle.
What is Product Management?
Don Vendetti – Product Arts

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Steve Johnson’s Definition
“To deliver
profitable
products
that delight
customers who
tell their friends”
http://under10consulting.com/2015/02/25/products-should-be-forgiving/

29. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
“Product success
over the entire
life of the product.”
Saeed’s Definition

30. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
“Product success
over the entire
life of the product.”
Saeed’s Definition

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How do I ensure
product success?

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4 Areas of Focus
Business Organization
Go To Market Product

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4 Areas of Focus
Business
Corporate Objectives,
Revenue, Pipeline, Win/Loss,
Renewals, Pricing, etc.
Organization
Internal Training and
Enablement (Sales, Support,
Marketing etc.)
Go To Market
Positioning, Messaging, Lead
Gen, Marketing Plan/Funnel,
References, Collateral etc.
Product
Product Strategy, Market
Needs, Roadmap,
Competitive, Quality, Gaps

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These 4 areas cover all
key functional aspects
to track and manage
any product

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But wait,
what about the
Product Lifecycle?

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Product Lifecycle STAGES (Traditional)
Develop
Launch
Growth
Maturity
Decline
EndofLife

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Product Lifecycle OBJECTIVES (Better)
Buildit
Nailit
Scaleit
Extendit
Milkit
Endit

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Product Lifecycle Objectives
Objective Description
Build it Build the first version of the product for specific use
cases for a target market
Nail it Go deep and turn that product into a truly compelling
offering that is clearly different from your competitors.
Scale it Scale the business (marketing/sales etc.) and focus on
expansion and new customer acquisition
Extend it Move into new markets, market segments, use cases.
Growth in new customers and sales into existing base
Milk it Reduce investment but continue to market/sell with an
eye on maximizing profits from customer base
End it Remove all investment, stop actively marketing and
eventually remove from market

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Product Management
focus and objectives
change across
lifecycle stages

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Heavy focus on building the RIGHT solution

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Solve customer needs better than others

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Grow customers/business/revenue

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Focus/activities vary at each stage

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Initially it is the
founder/CEO.
But as company grows,
formal Product
Management is needed.
Who will do this work?

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Product Management is
focused on
product success.
Enables CEO and Exec
Team to focus on
company success.
The ideal result…

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Hiring a PM – What many companies do
• Highly visible position
• Technical Strength
• Business Acumen
• Strategic Thinker
• Tactical Executioner
• Marketing Guru
• Etc. Etc.

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And how do you scale the organization?
?

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Like this?

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Is this even possible?
• Can you even hire a team like this?
• Is the whole greater than the sum of the
parts?
• Is this really how any team scales?

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One other factor to consider…

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So what’s the
solution?

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Stop thinking about
the Product Manager
Start thinking about
Product Management
teams

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It’s not part of
Marketing
It’s not part of
Engineering
Where does Product Management sit?

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Product Management
should be a department
in your company with
differentiated roles
DEFINED and STAFFED
for overall success
(just like every other department)

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Specialized Roles for Specific Objectives
Sales
• Account Managers
• Named Account
Managers
• Territory Managers
• Inside Sales Reps
• Sales Consultants
• Business Development
• Direct Response
Etc.
Engineering
• Software Engineers
• Architects
• Project Managers
• Development Leads
• Database Architects
• User Interaction/Experience
• Quality Assurance
Etc.

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What are those
Product Management
roles and how can
they be defined?

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Strategy
Communication
Marketing
RoadmapsForecasting
PartnershipsPricing
TechnologyPlanning
Selling Management
Key Product Management Skills

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Cross-Functional Responsibilities

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Segmenting the roles
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProduct
Marketing
Presales
Product
Manager

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Some are more technically focused
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales

61. Product Leaders © Saeed Khan 2015
Some are more business focused
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales

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How should the roles be segmented
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales

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Product Manager is (more) business focused
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales
Technical
Product
Manager
Product
Manager

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Product Marketing can be added
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales
Technical
Product
Manager
Product
Marketing
Manager
Product
Manager

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Solution Specialist adds product depth
Engineering
Support
Sales
Sr. Mgmt
Technical
Business
MarketProdu
ct
Marketing
Presales
Solution
Specialist
Technical
Product
Manager
Product
Marketing
Manager
Product
Manager

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A scalable & effective team
• Other roles UX, BA etc. can be added if needed
• Can scale organization (by adding people) across
products or product lines

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Product Management Grows with the Company
• Individuals across groups work together in
virtual or physical teams

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Overall Benefits to the Company
Provide Sr. Management with insight and
visibility into product/market details
Bring market and customer insights into the
company to drive product/process improvements
Balance long term planning vs. short term tactics
Ability to work effectively across teams and not
be a bottleneck
MUCH higher chances of product success

69. Product Leaders
Why Product Management is hard
and
How you can become a better
Product Leader
Saeed Khan
http://www.onproductmanagement.net
@saeedwkhan