Are you interested in becoming a technical product manager? I have been working in this position for years. It sounds cool to work in such a savvy role, but there are many interesting things that you may not know about.
So, are you ready to explore? I will share a day in the life of a technical product manager now. Let’s read on right now!
Overview
A technical product manager (TPM) is a product manager who deals with the technical side of the product. They also collaborate with other experts in the engineering team to ensure the highest product quality.
Each company requires a different set of skills for their technical product managers. Generally, these experts must have a solid technical background. Thus, they are often former computer science specialists or engineers.
The key duty of a technical product manager is to make wise decisions on product development.
As a manager, I have to handle tons of tasks. So, let’s have a look at what I do every day right now. Then, you can picture your future work days!
Define Product Vision
Before every project, I’m in charge of defining a vision for my company’s product. To do this, I often ask these questions:
- Who are the target users?
- What does my company want from the product in the long run?
- Where will the product be in the next five years?
Of course, there are more things to consider, but the above are general guidelines. Then, I can develop a detailed strategy based on them.
This task sounds simple, right? Just ask and answer! But, you know what? To gain valuable insights, I do a lot of research and attend a lot of meetings. Talking with clients is also necessary to nail this step.
Create Product Roadmap
The product roadmap is where I show the progress of the product. This step plays a vital role in satisfying customers. Their tendencies and priorities change over time, so I have to establish a clear roadmap for the product to ensure it always meets customer needs.
More specifically, I outline a detailed timeline for each feature release and update. And if enhancement is needed, I work on it, too.
During this stage, I pay attention to business impact and customer feedback. It can be fun sometimes, as I have a chance to dig deeper into my company and clients.
Collaborate With Different Teams
I don’t work alone, fortunately. As a manager, I have a team of talented engineers to support. Together, we can easily handle the product strategy and roadmap.
Join Meetings
I have meetings almost every week to ensure everything is on track. I’m the leader, remember? So, I’m in charge of leading the discussions. I actively listen to my teammates whose ideas can contribute significantly to the project.
I meet with clients, too, to understand their needs. Their requirements are what we will work on the product. I also work with sales and marketing teams, as we aim for one goal: offering the highest-quality and most lucrative product.
For example, I ensure sales teams have suitable materials and messaging to sell the technical product. On the other hand, they help me collect feedback from prospects and customers.
I meet marketing teams often, too. As a manager, I must follow up on marketing campaigns and plan effective marketing strategies.
Working with non-technical people is quite tricky. As a technical product manager, I need to turn technical concepts into simple terms. In other words, I eliminate the gap between business and technology.
Manage the Product Backlog
The product backlog is simply a checklist of steps or items to complete a project.
The backlog can tell everything about the up-to-date information about the product. Hence, my team can use it to check the user stories, technical issues, and product requirements. But how to make an elaborate backlog?
As a technical product manager, I first write the product backlog simply and clearly. Then, I share it with my team so we all can tell how much we can complete in a specified time.
After that, we gather and re-check that our plan matches our capacity. This step requires open conversation.
As a leader, I allocate the tasks appropriately. Then, during the project, I keep an eye on it, as everyone follows and modifies it continually. Thanks to this method, my team can stay on the same page and ensure the project goes as planned.
Manage Risks
Every project has risks, no matter how hard I try to avoid them. So, the best way is to learn how to manage unexpected issues. For example, I often struggle with delays and lack of resources. Budgets are a big headache for me, too.
In such cases, I try to keep calm and use my experience to tackle the problems. Another solution is holding meetings to collect ideas from my teammates. Together, we can recover from the mishaps faster.
Monitor Product Performance
How can I measure a product’s success? Well, there are many ways to do it! For example, I track its performance metrics and user feedback. Market trends can also help identify room for improvement. Then, based on that, I can plan future strategies.
This task asks me to work with databases. It’s demanding, but luckily, there are many valuable tools. Thanks to them, I can quickly interpret performance indicators.
Conclusion
A day in the life of a technical product manager is busy. Of course, you can’t expect an easy life when working as a manager. But trust me! You can deal well with all the responsibilities and stress once you’ve gathered enough experience.
Hopefully, this article can help you know more about this job. If you find the tasks interesting, start your journey now! It will be hard, and all your hard work will pay off! Thank you for reading!
