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Product managers shoulder a lot of responsibility. It's their job to oversee the product development process, keep stakeholders informed, report to executives and program managers, as well as solve problems as they arise. While the role of a product manager is essential to any manufacturer, the position can sometimes be overlooked in terms of providing efficient tools to do the job.
Our survey of American manufacturing companies revealed that most manufacturers either lack the tools to manage their roadmaps or they have tools and underutilize them. If your organization is juggling several apps and tools to manage roadmaps but is failing to achieve your goals, you may want to rethink the software you're using. When product managers have ample support to complete their work, the result is products aligned with company goals. The following are five things product managers need in their daily work to succeed.
1. A Clear Vision to Follow
The success of a product manager largely depends on the direction given to them by the company's executive. Having a clear vision of the company's long-term goals makes it easier for product managers to arrive at decisions. When a clear vision is available, product managers can ensure that the goals are reflected in the product roadmaps. Using software to manage product roadmaps enables better collaborations where all stakeholders can see the milestones and align themselves to the broader goals.
Communication is often daunting, yet it is the responsibility of the product manager to keep communication clear, precise, and consistent. Since product managers are responsible for overseeing many teams within the product development process, having an effective communication strategy is essential. PRM software can connect product teams in multiple locations so that everyone has the information needed to stay on target and meet expectations.
2. Effective Meetings With a Purpose
If you've ever sat in a meeting where it felt as though nothing was accomplished by the end, you'll know first-hand how frustrating unorganized meetings can be. One of the biggest obstacles in holding cross-functional meetings is delivering information to stakeholders. Gocious PRM software facilitates real-time collaborative communication with shared reports with automatic notices of updates and provides one source of truth all teams can access at the same time. With the right tools, product managers can easily inform team members and ensure they are aligned with the common goals.
Presentations become more impactful when you can present different views of the product based on the metrics relevant to each audience. While spreadsheets and presentation apps can be extremely time-consuming and tedious to use, Gocious PRM software makes it easy to present the best information with a few simple clicks to change dashboard views. Clean visuals with up-to-date data mean your meetings can make effective decisions on the spot without needing to consult the data after.
3. Strong Supportive Teams
Product managers work with a variety of teams, and each team has important knowledge, insight, and advice to give to the production process. It may be the engineering team advising on the feasibility of a design or customer support teams suggesting a feature that was mentioned repeatedly in customer feedback surveys. The finance department could also provide an update on what the company has money for in a product revision. Experienced product managers know that to create a solid plan, they need to consult with, listen to, understand, and then adjust their strategy based on input from their teams. It's always easier to work with teams who are supportive and supportive teams are those that feel respected and that their knowledge is valued.
Along with considering information from collaborative teams, product managers must also share information with their stakeholders. Having a tool that can push out information to all teams helps build better communication. The information that is relayed to team members through PRM software is both accurate and up-to-date, which will keep everyone on the same page.
4. Confidence They Are On the Right Track
Staying on top of deadlines and setting informed milestones is one of a product manager's many tasks and keeping your teams in check in this regard is of utmost importance. As many products can take years to complete, deadlines and milestones are two extremely important components of the product roadmap that help ensure progress is on track. Product managers work closely with project managers to ensure each phase of production is completed on time. If delays arise or complications develop, project managers will consult with their product managers to devise a plan and update the roadmap as needed.
With PRM software, you will be able to see where your product sits along the roadmap and monitor easily for problems. For example, when adding your product roadmaps into Gocious PRM software, you have the ability to set the features of the product. If a particular component gets delayed, the system will highlight all products that depend on that component, allowing more time to find a solution. Mapping dependencies is just another way Gocious makes roadmap analysis smoother.
5. One Source of Truth
You and your teams work in conjunction with each other to create the best possible products for your company and customers, but this is not a simple task. Creating one source of truth through PRM software will help both product managers and product teams reduce confusion. Up-to-date data can be shared with all teams simultaneously when using Gocious software. This means version controls and lost emails will no longer be a factor. All your teams require is internet access to find the latest information on any part of the product roadmap.
Consistent, up-to-date, accessible information is a game-changer for informed decision-making. With Gocious, your company will have clear evidence to follow, enabling you, as the product manager, to make sounder decisions about products.
Product Roadmap Tools for Manufacturing
Managing your roadmaps has never been easier than with the tools that Gocious offers. Gocious PRM software boosts communication and collaboration through one source of truth and one communication platform. Request your free demo to see how PRM software by Gocious can work for your teams.