Software product management

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Software product management (sometimes also referred to as digital product management or, in the right context just product management) is the discipline of building, implementing and managing software or digital products, taking into account life cycle considerations and an audience. It is the discipline and business process that governs a product from its inception to the market or customer delivery and service in order to maximize revenue. This is in contrast to software that is delivered in an ad hoc manner, typically to a limited clientele, e.g. service.

Contents

Example of the basic lifecycle of software products Openup-basic lifecycle.jpg
Example of the basic lifecycle of software products

The need for software product management

To develop, sell and support a successful software product a business needs to solve its market problem, understand its market, identify the opportunity as well as develop and market an appropriate piece of software. Hence the need for product management as a core business function in software companies.

Hardware and physical product companies may also need software product management, since software and digital systems are often part of the delivery, such as when providing operating systems, or supporting the physical product or software embedded in a device.

The role of software product manager

A software product manager leads and manages one or several products from inception to phase-out in order to create customer value and deliver measurable business benefits. They collaborate with cross-functional teams (such as marketing, sales, engineering, finance, quality assurance/testing, customer service, manufacturing and installation) in order to fulfill a product vision and generate business success. The software product manager determines what products, enhancements and features to build and is accountable for the business success of an entire product portfolio. They develop the product roadmap and are responsible for the value chain of a product throughout its life cycle.

Software product management roles can be subdivided depending on their focus: product owner, product marketing manager, technical product manager and strategic product manager. Software program manager focuses on the project delivery of engineering processes, design, documentation, planning, execution, operations and feedback.

Stages of software product management

Software product management covers all steps from the inception of a product to its end of life. It consists of five major stages in the product life-cycle, namely:[ citation needed ]

Within these five phases it deals with the following aspects of a software product within a software and/or hardware company:

The above tasks are not sequential but can co-exist. For Product Managers to be efficient in the above tasks, they have to have both engineering and marketing skills. Hence, frequently, Silicon Valley firms prefer engineers who are also MBAs to do software product management.

Another concept of Product Lifecycle Management provides 4 key stages that a product will move through in its life, which are:

For each of these stages, the roadmaps and strategies of the Product Manager and Marketing will have a different focus. [1]

Education

Industry and academia established a standard for software product management education. According to this consensus, a software product manager is educated in the following areas: [2]

A software product manager also has knowledge in the software development domain. The International Software Product Management Association (ISPMA) maintains the public body of knowledge and syllabi for international certification.

Prioritization

A key aspect of Product Management is the correct prioritization of enhancements. User story mapping is a valuable tool that assists with visualizing and organizing priorities. Here's a method that works well (borrowed and adapted from Joel Spolsky):

See also

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References

  1. Theodore Levitt (November 1965). "Exploit the product lifecycle". Harvard Business Review.
  2. Samuel Fricker (2012). "Software Product Management" in: A. Maedche, A. Botzenhardt, L. Neer (eds.): Software for People. Springer. 2012.

Further reading