Description of the Product Manager role
The Product Manager is an important role, especially in a technology company. It is similar to a Brand Manager at a consumer goods company. The Product Manager is often considered the director of the product and is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of that product. The position often also includes marketing, forecasting, and profit and loss responsibilities.
The Product Manager analyzes the market and competitive conditions and creates a product vision that is differentiated, and delivers unique value based on customer demands. The role of a Product Manager includes activities from strategic to tactical and at requires leadership and bridging gaps within the company between different functions, most notably between engineering-oriented teams, sales and marketing, and support.
The Product Manager is the person responsible for defining the ‘why’, ‘what,’ and ‘when’ of the product that the engineering team will build. They are the directors of their product which means they lead cross-functional teams from a product's conception all the way through its launch.