What to Product & Program managers do?
Also see: Al Sargent who has one of the best
personal sites on this subject.
And see: Scott Berkun who authored the best
common sense book on this subject.
= = = = = = = =
Titles and
Responsibilities
Titles really are a mess in our business. What one company calls a
product manager, another calls a product marketing manager. The high-tech
industry has somewhat ignored the standard terms in other industries. For
example, no technology company that I’ve worked with has a brand
manager, yet that job description is what most product managers are doing.
In my survey I asked people’s titles and reported incomes based on
the titles without defining what I think they are. I also asked them to
report responsibilities.
LEGEND:
PM = Product Manager;
PMM = product marketing manager;
marcom = marketing communications
Time spent on product management and marketing
|
|
PM
|
PMM
|
marcom
|
|
|
none
|
some
|
none
|
some
|
none
|
some
|
|
researching
market needs
|
26%
|
74%
|
30%
|
70%
|
91%
|
9%
|
|
preparing
business case
|
46%
|
54%
|
44%
|
56%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
writing
product requirements
|
15%
|
85%
|
47%
|
53%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
writing
detailed specifications
|
46%
|
54%
|
73%
|
27%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
monitoring
development projects
|
11%
|
89%
|
32%
|
68%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
writing
copy for promotional material
|
56%
|
44%
|
24%
|
76%
|
9%
|
91%
|
|
approving
promotional material
|
65%
|
35%
|
46%
|
54%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
creating
sales presentations and demos
|
33%
|
67%
|
13%
|
88%
|
18%
|
82%
|
|
training
sales people
|
50%
|
50%
|
38%
|
63%
|
91%
|
9%
|
|
going
on sales calls
|
51%
|
49%
|
51%
|
49%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
performing
win/loss analysis
|
78%
|
23%
|
76%
|
24%
|
91%
|
9%
|
|
visiting
sites (without sales people)
|
65%
|
35%
|
74%
|
26%
|
100%
|
0%
|
|
planning
and managing marketing programs
|
61%
|
39%
|
22%
|
78%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
measuring
marketing programs
|
83%
|
17%
|
57%
|
43%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
working
with press or analysts
|
83%
|
18%
|
55%
|
46%
|
55%
|
46%
|
Source:
Pragmatic Marketing survey, 2003
Primary responsibility for product management and marketing activities
|
Product Strategy
|
PM
|
PMM
|
Marcom
|
|
Distinctive
Competence
|
56%
|
51%
|
9%
|
|
Market
Research
|
73%
|
73%
|
46%
|
|
Market
Problems
|
72%
|
64%
|
18%
|
|
Market
Sizing
|
56%
|
63%
|
9%
|
|
Product
Performance
|
73%
|
55%
|
9%
|
|
Operational
Metrics
|
32%
|
19%
|
18%
|
|
Business
Case
|
75%
|
56%
|
18%
|
|
Pricing
|
56%
|
63%
|
9%
|
|
Buy,
Build, Partner
|
58%
|
35%
|
0%
|
|
Thought
Leaders
|
42%
|
39%
|
27%
|
|
Positioning
|
78%
|
90%
|
64%
|
|
Sales
Process
|
20%
|
43%
|
18%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical Product Management
|
PM
|
PMM
|
Marcom
|
|
Technology
Assessment
|
44%
|
20%
|
0%
|
|
Competitive
Analysis
|
75%
|
79%
|
9%
|
|
Win/Loss
Analysis
|
44%
|
35%
|
0%
|
|
Innovation
|
40%
|
24%
|
0%
|
|
Market
Requirements
|
91%
|
68%
|
0%
|
|
Product
Roadmap
|
85%
|
53%
|
0%
|
|
User
Personas
|
47%
|
35%
|
0%
|
|
Product
Contract
|
38%
|
16%
|
0%
|
|
Monitoring
release milestones
|
63%
|
38%
|
0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Product Marketing
|
PM
|
PMM
|
Marcom
|
|
Defining
Marketing Plan
|
35%
|
73%
|
82%
|
|
Managing
marketing programs
|
20%
|
60%
|
100%
|
|
Measuring
marketing program ROI
|
11%
|
35%
|
91%
|
|
Awareness
Plan
|
16%
|
44%
|
64%
|
|
Customer
Acquisition Plan
|
14%
|
43%
|
55%
|
|
Customer
Retention Plan
|
13%
|
34%
|
73%
|
|
Buyer
Personas
|
22%
|
31%
|
18%
|
|
Market
Messages
|
47%
|
86%
|
82%
|
|
Launch
Plan
|
49%
|
76%
|
91%
|
|
Lead
Generation
|
9%
|
40%
|
100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales Readiness
|
PM
|
PMM
|
Marcom
|
|
creating
collateral and sales tools
|
57%
|
88%
|
100%
|
|
creating
presentations and demos
|
71%
|
94%
|
73%
|
|
writing
white papers
|
58%
|
75%
|
64%
|
|
writing
competitive checklists
|
52%
|
68%
|
27%
|
|
providing
sales channel training
|
54%
|
75%
|
18%
|
|
going
on sales calls
|
51%
|
54%
|
0%
|
|
staffing
seminar and trade show events
|
53%
|
76%
|
82%
|
|
answering
sales questions via email or phone
|
72%
|
75%
|
9%
|
Source:
Pragmatic Marketing survey, 2003
(
Thank you Pragmatic Marketing !!)
|
