{"id":17986,"date":"2022-03-08T13:41:47","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T13:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/productcollective.com\/clone-of-head-of-product-career-path-how-to-become-one\/"},"modified":"2022-03-08T20:27:53","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T20:27:53","slug":"12-tips-on-how-to-work-with-product-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/productcollective.com\/12-tips-on-how-to-work-with-product-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Tips On How To Work With Product Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Product management is a fast-growing career. In 2022, <\/span>Glassdoor<\/span><\/a> listed the product manager job as one of the best positions in the U.S. Research from <\/span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a> showed interest in product management doubled in the latter half of the last decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the shift to a digital landscape that was accelerated by the pandemic\u2014along with the increasing number of technology startups\u2014the need for people who know how to collaborate with product managers is growing. Successful product managers work with cross-functional teams, which means the need for people who understand how to work with product managers (PMs) is increasing along with the rise in PMs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to work with product management<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

If you work for a tech company, it’s helpful to know how to work with product management. While the product management profession has been around for a while, it’s still not as clearly defined as other roles. Product manager responsibilities often depend on the size of the organization, the makeup of the product team, and available resources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you need to work with a product manager?<\/h4>\n

When working with product management, it’s necessary to understand the role of a product manager. A product manager is responsible for creating products that meet customer needs and business objectives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Product managers, or PMs, sit at the intersection of business, marketing, and engineering teams. Due to their unique position in the company, they take in a lot of information and feedback to help them develop better products. When working with a product manager, one of the best ways to get their attention is to bring data. This includes quantitative data (such as product and feature usage) and qualitative data (such as Net Promoter Score, support tickets, and <\/span>customer feedback<\/span><\/a> given through account management). These data points help them to make informed decisions about their <\/span>product roadmap<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

How should product designers work with product managers?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Let’s start by looking at the job description of product designers vs product managers. Product designers ensure customers have the best experience possible and focus on usability (i.e., is it easy for people to use this product?). Product managers try to balance meeting users’ needs and meeting the needs of the business. While there is overlap in how these roles think, it’s important for product designers to keep in mind that product managers are thinking about the bigger picture. As a result, they may not be as focused on improving the user experience of one particular screen or flow (that\u2019s where you come in!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few suggestions for how product designers can work harmoniously with product managers:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Get a deep understanding of the customer<\/span>.<\/b><\/h4>\n

When you work with product management as a UX designer, one of the greatest value adds you can offer is a deep understanding of the customer. Through customer interviews, user research, and usability studies, you can derive answers to the following questions:<\/span><\/p>\n