What Does a Product Manager Do All Day? | Day in the Life of a PM

Exponent

5 May 202204:32

Summary

TLDRKevin Way, a product manager, offers a glimpse into the dynamic and varied life of a PM. From brainstorming and user interviews to working with designers, engineers, and data scientists, the role involves addressing urgent emails, monitoring product health, participating in daily stand-ups, conducting usability tests, and engaging in one-on-one meetings. The video script highlights the importance of communication, collaboration, and staying agile in a fast-paced tech environment.

Takeaways

📅 The role of a Product Manager (PM) is dynamic with no typical day, as new priorities, blockers, and opportunities frequently arise.
🔍 PMs' responsibilities vary depending on the stage of the product life cycle, from discovery and definition to execution.
🤔 In the discovery stage, PMs brainstorm and conduct user interviews to validate ideas.
📝 During the product definition stage, PMs plan their Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and collaborate with designers.
🛠️ In the execution stage, PMs work with engineers on implementation and with data scientists to conduct A/B tests.
📧 PMs start their day by checking emails and messages, addressing urgent communications from leadership, other teams, or external vendors.
📊 They monitor the product's health by checking dashboards for key metrics and communicate any significant performance trends to the team.
🗣️ Daily engineering stand-ups, or scrums, help align the team, clarify requirements, and overcome blockers.
🍽️ Lunchtime can be for socializing with colleagues, attending tech talks, or watching educational content.
💼 Afternoons may include one-on-one meetings with team members to share updates and gather input on ongoing work.
🔧 Towards the end of the day, PMs allocate time for solo work such as writing PRDs, responding to document comments, or creating team newsletters.
🔄 PMs are involved in numerous meetings to unblock team members, stay informed about developments, and ensure the product's success.

Q & A

What is the role of a product manager (PM) as described in the video?
-A product manager is responsible for managing the lifecycle of a product. Their role is dynamic and varies depending on the stage of the product. They may be involved in brainstorming ideas, conducting user interviews, planning the minimum viable product (MVP), working with designers and engineers, and collaborating with data scientists for A/B testing.
How does a PM's day typically start?
-A PM's day usually starts by checking emails and messages, addressing any urgent communications, and reviewing the product's health through performance dashboards to monitor key metrics.
What is the purpose of a daily engineering stand-up or scrum meeting?
-The daily engineering stand-up, also known as a scrum, is a short agile meeting aimed at syncing the team, clarifying requirements, and overcoming any blockers to ensure smooth product development.
What does a PM do during a usability meeting?
-During a usability meeting, a PM solicits feedback on new features from the engineering team and others to identify any issues or bugs that need to be addressed before the features are shipped to users.
How does a PM spend their lunch break as mentioned in the script?
-If not occupied by meetings, a PM might use their lunch break to socialize with co-workers, attend a tech talk hosted within the company, or watch educational or entertaining videos.
What is the significance of one-on-one meetings for a PM?
-One-on-one meetings allow PMs to check in with their team members, share updates, and get input on ongoing work, ensuring alignment and addressing any individual concerns or needs.
What kind of solo work does a PM engage in towards the end of the workday?
-Towards the end of the day, a PM might engage in solo work such as writing product requirements documents (PRDs), replying to comments on documents, or drafting the weekly team newsletter for leadership.
How do PMs handle ad hoc meetings or issues that arise?
-PMs are often pulled into ad hoc meetings or discussions when a team member wants to discuss an issue in detail or when there is a problem that requires their immediate attention to resolve.
What tools or platforms might a PM use to communicate updates or gather feedback?
-A PM might use various communication tools, including email, messaging platforms, and possibly a 'slap' message, which seems to be an internal term for a quick update or alert within the company.
What is the role of metrics in a PM's daily routine?
-Metrics play a crucial role as they help PMs monitor the product's health and performance. Any significant deviations, especially in the 'north star' metric, are flagged and addressed to ensure the product is on the right track.
What resources does the video recommend for those interested in product management?
-The video recommends Exponent, which offers resources to help individuals prepare for product management interviews, and encourages viewers to subscribe for interview preparation videos and visit tryxponent.com.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to a Product Manager's Day

Kevin, a product manager, introduces the dynamic nature of his role and the variability of tasks depending on the product's life cycle stage. He outlines the different responsibilities PMs have, such as brainstorming, user interviews, MVP planning, working with designers and engineers, and conducting A/B tests. The video aims to provide an informative look into a PM's workday, starting with morning routines like checking emails and monitoring product health.

📊 Morning Routines and Product Health Checks

The summary highlights the PM's morning routine, which includes addressing urgent emails, possibly from leadership or other teams, and monitoring the product's health through dashboard metrics. It emphasizes the importance of communicating performance updates to the team and flagging any concerning trends to take corrective actions.

🔄 Daily Engineering Stand-up and Product Updates

This section describes the daily engineering stand-up, an agile meeting known as a scrum, where the team syncs up and clarifies requirements or blockers. The PM might share product updates, such as completing a PRD, and ensure that information is communicated to the engineering team through both verbal updates and follow-up messages.

🍽 Lunch and Casual Team Interactions

During lunch, if not fully booked, the PM enjoys informal interactions with co-workers, discussing non-work topics or tuning into virtual tech talks. The summary captures the balance between work and personal life, showing how PMs use lunchtime for both relaxation and professional development.

🤝 One-on-One Meetings and Team Collaboration

After lunch, the PM engages in one-on-one meetings with team members, including marketing, machine learning, and data science counterparts, to check in, share updates, and gather input. The summary underscores the importance of these meetings for effective team collaboration and issue resolution.

🔧 End-of-Day Solo Work and Wrap-Up

As the workday concludes, the PM allocates time for solo work, which includes writing PRDs, replying to document comments, and crafting the weekly team newsletter. The summary illustrates the PM's role in wrapping up the day's tasks and preparing for the next, ensuring continuous product development and team communication.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Product Manager (PM)

A Product Manager is a professional responsible for guiding the development of a product from its inception to its launch and beyond. In the video, Kevin Way, a Product Manager, shares insights into the dynamic and varied responsibilities that come with the role, such as brainstorming, conducting user interviews, and working with cross-functional teams to ensure product success.

💡Product Life Cycle

The Product Life Cycle refers to the stages a product goes through, from its introduction to the market until it is eventually discontinued. In the script, the Product Manager's responsibilities are contextualized within different stages of the product life cycle, such as the initial discovery, product definition, and execution stages.

💡Daily Stand-up

A Daily Stand-up, also known as a 'scrum' in agile methodology, is a short, daily meeting where team members synchronize their work and address any blockers. In the video, Kevin mentions attending a daily engineering stand-up to ensure everyone is aligned and to clarify requirements.

💡North Star Metric

The North Star Metric is a key performance indicator (KPI) that reflects the most important success factor for a product or business. In the script, Kevin checks this metric daily to assess the product's health and communicates any significant trends to the team.

💡MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

An MVP is a version of a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and provide feedback for future product development. The script mentions that during the product definition stage, PMs plan their MVP, indicating the importance of focusing on essential features.

💡User Interviews

User Interviews are conversations with potential users to gather insights into their needs, preferences, and behaviors regarding a product. In the video, Kevin discusses conducting user interviews to validate product ideas during the initial discovery stage.

💡AB Tests

AB Tests, or split tests, involve comparing two versions of a product feature to determine which performs better. In the script, PMs work with data scientists to conduct AB tests to validate hypotheses about product features.

💡Usability Meeting

A Usability Meeting is a session where a product's usability is evaluated, often by having a fresh set of eyes test the product and provide feedback. In the video, Kevin mentions hosting usability meetings to gather feedback and identify bugs in features being shipped.

💡One-on-One Meetings

One-on-One Meetings are private sessions between a manager and an individual team member, used for check-ins, updates, and discussions. In the script, Kevin has one-on-one meetings with team members to discuss work and gather input.

💡PRD (Product Requirements Document)

A Product Requirements Document is a comprehensive document that outlines the features, functions, and requirements of a product. In the video, Kevin mentions writing a PRD and seeking input from the engineering team, highlighting the importance of clear communication of product vision.

💡Solo Work

Solo Work refers to individual tasks or projects that a team member undertakes without direct collaboration with others. In the script, Kevin sets aside time for solo work, such as writing PRDs and the weekly team newsletter, which are crucial for internal communication and leadership updates.

Highlights

Kevin Way introduces himself as a product manager and shares insights into the daily life of a PM.

Product management is described as a dynamic role with no typical day due to varying priorities and opportunities.

Responsibilities of PMs differ based on the product life cycle stage, from discovery to execution.

In the discovery stage, PMs brainstorm ideas and conduct user interviews for validation.

During the product definition stage, PMs plan the MVP and collaborate with designers.

In the execution stage, PMs work with engineers on implementation and with data scientists for A/B testing.

The video includes insights from multiple PMs to provide a comprehensive view of a PM's workday.

Most PMs start their day by checking emails and messages, addressing urgent communications.

Product health monitoring is a morning routine, checking dashboards for key metrics performance.

Daily engineering stand-ups, or scrums, are crucial for syncing and clarifying requirements.

Usability meetings are held to gather feedback and identify bugs in features being shipped.

Lunchtime can be for socializing with co-workers or attending virtual tech talks.

Afternoons may include one-on-one meetings with team members for updates and input.

Ad hoc meetings might be scheduled to discuss issues in-depth or to address urgent problems.

End-of-day solo work involves writing PRDs, replying to document comments, and creating team newsletters.

The video emphasizes the importance of meetings in unblocking team members and staying informed.

Exponent is recommended for resources to help with breaking into product management and acing interviews.