This is your critical Product Manager Skills List – Your Ultimate Guide to becoming a great PM. These necessary skills will ultimately define your success.
Are you transitioning from software development to product management? Or are you simply looking for a refresher of the skill-set? This article will address your needs.
At the same time, I will urge you to not focus on things like “product manager salary”, “product manager job” or “associate product manager salary”. You should first focus on getting the right skills for the product management process.
The Product Manager career path will come later. When the opportunity arrives, you should be ready to grab it like Warren Buffett!
As a Product Manager, the final authority for every success and every failure rests on your shoulders.
At the same time, it is your job to make sure that your app/website succeeds.
But what are some of the key skills that you need? (Don’t forget the top 15 benefits of Kanban).
The answer to that question depends on who you ask. But broadly, the hallmark of your success would depend on the following.
Ultimate Product Manager Skills Matrix
While reading through the following Product Manager skills and competencies, take the time to really understand each skill.
The below are all present on any product manager job description.
Your goal is to put the below on your product manger resume –
- Communication
- Nimble
- Always Available
- Calm
- Decisive
- Document Everything
- Strategy
Product Management Skills
Let us look at each skill in detail.
Communication
The absolute number one skill. There is no substitute for crystal clear communication.
But, to communicate clearly, the ideas should first be clear in your own mind.
Learn how to communicate like a PM!
Communication doesn’t happen overnight.
A Product Manager needs to repeatedly give presentations to various stakeholders.
At the same time, it is important to know the right questions to ask.
It is important to first do the reseach, and only then can a Product Manager figure out the right questions.
Eventually, your idea will catch on and it will succeed.
Nimble
This is a critical concept most Product Managers struggle with.
However, being nimble is at the core of the Agile Methodology.
Requirements change all the time, learn to navigate that change with minimal resistance.
Take active part in your daily stand ups and other scrum ceremonies.
A Product Manager who is absent from daily stand ups is not doing a good job.
Always Available
Easier said than done!
Irrespective of the medium (Slack, Skype, Emails, Phone, etc.), you need to be there when your team needs you.
A great PM is not only happy to be bothered, but expects people to come and bother him or her.
Even during situations when people are working from home, Product Managers should constantly strive to video call their stakeholders.
There is no such thing as quiet day of the office. If that happens, there is something that is definitely not right.
A PM needs to be less at his or her desk, and more on their feet.
Constantly interacting, constantly thinking and constantly brainstorming.
Those are the hallmarks of a great Product Manager.
Calm
This would be a good time to understand Murphy’s Law!
Anything that can happen, will happen.
And it is your job to stay calm and level headed.
A Product Manager sometimes is the captain of a sinking ship. But that’ ok. It’s a part of the job.
Getting nervous never helps.
Learn to look at the big picture and never lose sight of the end goals.
Constant focus and perseverance always pays off.
Decisive
The Product Manager is the final authority on all matters. And that means, you will need to take decisions.
Every decision will upset someone, and your job will be to make sure you clearly communicate the logic for your decision.
The success of every product rests on the shoulders of a Product Manager.
Equally important, if not more, is the fact that the failure of every product also rests on the shoulders of a Product Manager.
Therefore, it is important to be fully aware of all the stages of the Product Life Cycle (PLC).
Document Everything
Learn Jira, Confluence, etc. Don’t be hesitant to learn a new tool if you get feedback that it is better than what you currently use.
There are many free product management tools available out there.
If a project is tracked through a Kanban board, then make sure to update the Kanban board with all new requirements.
Documentation is key aspect in every phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
Check out the top 10 product management tools.
Strategy
You need to have a clear strategy and vision in mind for your product.
You should learn Google’s winning strategy using the OKR Framework.
In addition to the above skills, you should have the right personality traits. Check out what makes Elon Musk a boss Product Manager.
And remember –
Rome was not built in a day
Practice
There is no substitute to good old hard work! How do you succeed as a Product Manager during challenging times? Constant perseverance.
And you know the best part? Hard work always pays off.
Remember what the greatest Product Manager said –
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
Steve Jobs
You will need practice (a lot of it) to hone these skills. You will make mistakes, we all do.
But that’s ok, the important thing is to never stop learning. And never forget the KISS principle.
Conclusion
Your development team looks up to you for support and guidance. So remember, only the right skill set will enable you to effectively motivate and enable your team.
Be Product Agnostic!
This would also be a good time to brush up on the following –
As a follow up, aha product management is useful.
Good luck!
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