Before we start going through the day-to-day tasks of a Product Manager, let’s understand some of the overall responsibilities that form their job scope. What does a Product Manager do - manage products? The answer to that question is both yes and no!

Managing a product is much more in-depth and intricate than it is made to sound. Product managers have to manage EVERYTHING related to the product they are in charge of; based on the 4 stages of the product life-cycle, each stage will have its priorities, metrics of success as well as strategies to roll out. In this way, the range of duties a PM can and will have to deal with is unsurprisingly wide. As such, traits that will allow prospective PMs to excel at the role usually include flexibility and creativity, in a way that allows them to adapt to different problems that may come their way, while also being able to think out of the box and tackle roadblocks from multiple perspectives. Due to the sheer amount of taskings and deadlines that they have to keep track of, being organised and methodical will also prove to be a huge advantage in ensuring that tasks are tracked diligently and deliverables can be produced on time. Lastly, because the main goal of a PM is to drive product success, being able to empathise with consumers would be another invaluable quality along every step of the way.

Early Morning (9 - 10am)

Like most office jobs, Product Managers start the day by checking their emails and replying to any missed messages, however, unlike other average tasks, this process bears particular importance to PMs. Because of the PM’s more managerial job scope, their expertise lies in communicating with and acting as a liaison between the different functional departments that have a stake in the product. 

This can mean sending the data of a focus group discussion from the Sales Team to the Design team to refine the product; updating the Marketing team with new product features pushed out by the Research and Development Team; or even providing higher management with progress reports on the product’s lifecycle. Hence, another primary function of a PM is to facilitate and drive cross-functional communication

Afterwards, PMs will usually want a progress update of their own and will begin to take stock of the backlog of tasks that have been accumulated, as well as tasks that require their urgent attention. Based on this list, they will begin to schedule their meetings for the day, while also taking note of the deliverables that have to be submitted soon.

Mid-morning (10am - 12pm)

After organising through and getting a handle on some upcoming objectives, PMs will next act to collate all of the progress reports and updates obtained from the various cross-functional teams, aggregating them to check on their product health. Typically, this is a heavily data-driven process which will require the assistance of a data analyst, or a corresponding analytics dashboard. This will allow them to highlight some of the product’s recent successes, while also identifying potential issues or problems; if they wish to get ahead of these problems, they may even bring it up at the scheduled meetings so as to get insight and advice from relevant stakeholders.

Afternoon (1 - 4pm)

After lunch, team meetings begin. More cross-functional communication continues and PMs sit in on these meetings to play the role of facilitator, allowing teams to coordinate their efforts while also simultaneously reminding them of upcoming deadlines and deliverables. More often than not, PMs may also be required to help deconflict clashes in dates or timings. Since each team is most likely in charge of multiple work streams, it is inevitable that certain deadlines may clash with one another. At this juncture, it would be up to the PM to prioritise effectively so that teams can juggle their workloads, while still being able to complete tasks on time without delaying the overall timeline.

Early Afternoon to Evening (4 - 6pm)

At this point, the workday is beginning to wind down, allowing the PM to focus on some of their own “solo work”. They may choose to update their product roadmap, a document containing the product’s goals, vision and timeline, based on the discussions and meetings that occurred during the day. Otherwise, they could also continue responding to emails, writing progress reports or taking stock of tasks.

(Of course, much more details are involved in product management than can be outlined in this article.)

Wrap-up!

While the duties of a Product Manager may sound intimidating, and even overwhelming at first, the payoffs are extremely rewarding. Because of their role in balancing consumer needs along with the progress of various departments, PMs are a key determinant in the success of a product’s advancements and growth. If you are someone who thrives in a fast-paced and dynamic environment that stresses critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to a variety of situations, then Product Management just might be for you!

About the Author