How to Become a Product Manager

Product management is an organizational function that contributes to the success of a product, from the initial research to determine the need for the product and its correct positioning in the marketplace, to its planning, production, pricing, marketing and final launch.

It’s important for anyone wondering about becoming a product manager to be familiar with the role product management plays in today’s highly competitive and complex global marketplace.

A product management strategy guides the product’s developmental process by focusing on the needs and desires of the consumer as well as the company’s goals and overall vision. Elements of the product management strategy include:

Serving at the intersection of user experience and engineering teams, business leaders and others, product managers play a pivotal role in the development of new products and new experiences for consumers. They outline the product strategy, demonstrate how it will impact the consumer and the goals of their company, and provide the glue that holds together the shared vision across multiple groups within the company’s structure. Within a product development team, the product manager focuses on successfully executing the product lifecycle.

If you’re researching how to become a product manager and looking to understand this role more completely, another analogy might be helpful. The product manager’s role has been compared to that of an executive chef (EC) at a large restaurant. Just as the product manager isn’t the company’s CEO, the EC doesn’t typically own the restaurant, but they are the manager of their product, responsible for its overall success and shaping the vision of each product feature, helping the business meet its goals and create satisfied customers.

The product manager’s primary responsibilities include:

If you’re thinking about becoming a product manager, the traditional educational pathway begins with earning a bachelor’s degree in business or business administration.

When you choose DeVry for your undergraduate degree, you can select a Sales and Marketing Specialization as part of our bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration, Management or Technical Management. This specialization covers many topics that are essential in product management including administration and management, advertising and public relations, international marketing, creativity, innovation and new product development.

If you wish to advance your education as you travel along this career path, a graduate degree may help you stand out. An MBA with a Specialization in Marketing from our Keller Graduate School of Management can help you develop your administration and management capabilities right alongside your marketing skills.

Certifications also can contribute to your career development in product management. Several product management certifications are designed to enable product managers to enhance and improve their skills, and can help them qualify for roles where the employer specifies certification as a requirement for the job.

So, how do you get into project management? Many roles require some type of previous experience in a similar role where timeline development, project management and collaboration are prioritized.

In larger companies, entry-level experience in product management may be gained by working as an assistant product manager. Another option is to look for a role as a project coordinator or assistant that will help you build and demonstrate skills like time management and organization. While working in this entry-level position, look for learning and growth opportunities and develop the soft skills that are beneficial for product managers (more about hard and soft skills for this role in the next section). Volunteering for leadership opportunities on various projects or initiatives may help to build your leadership skills and your resume.

The specific skills and qualifications required to pursue product management roles will vary depending on the position, industry and employer. There are, however, some basic hard and soft skills that apply.

Technical skills for product management jobs include product design, product release management and understanding the stages of product development, in addition to:

The soft skills for product managers are similar to those required for other roles in business, with a particular emphasis on communication and project management.

If you want to play a role in the development and launch of new products in consumer or industrial markets, DeVry can help you begin your journey. We offer a range of academic programs that can prepare you to pursue a number of roles in sales, marketing and product management. For example, our MBA with a Specialization in Marketing from DeVry’s Keller Graduate School of Management can help you gain an understanding of marketing disciplines and skills that are associated with smart product management.

Concerned about the length of time it may take to complete a graduate degree? At DeVry, our 6 academic sessions per year allow you to start when you’re ready and learn at your own pace, finishing on a regular or accelerated schedule that meets your personal and professional goals.