Page 15 - DMGT508_PRODUCT_AND_BRAND_MANAGEMENT

Product and Brand Management

Notes conduct successful stealth competitive intelligence operations. While it is fanciful to
imagine yourself as a secret agent or spy, none of these techniques are difficult, hidden or
secretive. In fact, most of them are tools or services available to all businesses.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
5. ……………………….. is the process of distinguishing the differences of a product or offering
from others.

6. Product planning, as opposed to product management, deals with more
……………………….. tasks.

1.5 Product Management: Scope

Product management as a discipline is about what the product should be. Product managers are
advocates for the customer’s needs and desires. A large product might have numerous product
managers working towards its success at a variety of levels, all the way from the junior product
manager writing specifications about single feature sets to a product strategy director who has
overall responsibility to executive management for the product direction. A product manager’s
responsibilities include the following:
1. Defining and planning product lines and product enhancements
2. Managing product contracts and sales. Setting strategic direction based on customer needs
and business goals
3. Interpreting strategic goals into operational tasks
4. Making proposals to senior management regarding implications of proposed plan
5. Serving as a representative to internal and external clients. Taking the leading establishing
tactical plans and objectives
6. Developing and implementing administrative and operational matters ensuring
achievement of objectives
7. Evaluating risks and trade-offs

8. Proposing contingency plans
9. Analyzing business processes and creating applications to improve or support those
processes
10. Branding
11. Working with graphic designers to create look and feel

12. Defining navigational flow and user experience
13. Defining feature sets and scooping releases.
People not familiar with the discipline of product management frequently get a product manager
confused with other players. It’s useful to look at what a product manager is not. A product
manager is not:
A developer – Developers are focused on the technology and not the overall product. Some
great product managers are former developers, but it is difficult to do both at once. There is a
natural tension between developers and product managers that should be maintained to create
a balanced product. A software manager – the software manager is a functional manager and
usually not focused on the product or the customers. A project manager – project managers are

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