Products and Product Management

Sandeep Sharma
3 min readMay 15, 2023

Hello, and welcome to my very first blog on Product Management. Today, I’ll guide you through the fascinating world of Product, Products management, and explore the differences between product and project management.

Now lets understand What is a Product?

A product could be anything. In the simplest terms, a product is a solution to a customer’s problem. It can be tangible (smartphone, chocolate or car), or intangible (software or a service). A product’s primary purpose is to deliver value to the customer and, in return, generate revenue for the business.

For instance, consider a smartphone. Its purpose is to solve multiple problems — staying connected with people, managing schedules, capturing memories, and even entertaining users in their free time. Each feature delivers specific value, making the smartphone an essential item for many.

What is Product Management?

Product management is the practice of guiding the success of a product from its inception to its end-of-life. It’s an organizational function that involves understanding customer needs, setting a product vision, defining what should be built and when, and working collaboratively with teams to deliver the product.

Who is a Product Manager?

A product manager is a role within a company responsible for guiding the success of a product. PM oversee the development of a product, from the initial concept, through development, to its launch and beyond.

Product Manager understand customer needs, set the product direction, make decisions about what features to build, and work with a team to bring the product to market.

The PM is not always in charge of an entire product, but of certain sections of it. Product Manager is a communicator that puts all the pieces together by getting feedback from everyone else.

The role of the PM and their exact responsibilities change across different industries and different companies

Difference Between Product and Project Management

Here are the key distinctions in terms of responsibilities and deliverables of product manager and project manager roles that you should be aware of:

Source — Eleken (Author : Mariia Kasym)

Project and product manager skill sets

To gain a better understanding of the distinction between product management and project management, let’s draw an analogy using a ship metaphor.

Product Management: The Captain

The Product Manager, like a ship’s Captain, decides the product’s direction and destination, based on understanding what the customers want. They chart the course, anticipate challenges, and determine what features will be most valuable.

Project Management: The First Mate

The Project Manager, similar to a ship’s First Mate, focuses on how to reach the destination. They manage the team, schedule, budget, and ensure all tasks are completed on time, making sure the product’s journey goes as planned.

In short, the Product Manager sets the vision, and the Project Manager executes it. Both work together to ensure the product’s success.

Links to other blogs:

Requirements and Requirement Gathering for Business Analysts
What is Business analysis?
Who is a Business Analyst?

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Sandeep Sharma

Manager Data Science — Coffee Lover — Machine Learning — Statistics — Management Consultant — Product Management — Business Analyst