Product Management Fundamentals

This course is a part of Product Management, a 5-course Professional Certificate series from edX.

Product management is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative jobs available today. Companies have awoken to the desperate need for product managers to create products that customers love, that integrate design, functionality, and business solutions. In our course, we define the fundamentals of product management and why this role is so coveted as a launch pad for future CEOs and startup founders.

To be effective, product managers need a clear understanding of their jobs and duties. They also need a clear understanding of the required skills and competencies. An appreciation of these roles, responsibilities, skills, and capabilities is also beneficial for stakeholders and team members who collaborate with product managers.

This course investigates the framework for success in product management by defining the product manager’s position in an organization and the key responsibilities. We will examine the skills and competencies most critical to carrying out those responsibilities. To further improve your understanding of product management, we will discuss how product managers engage with the product team and stakeholders to create and manage successful products.

Product managers must also know how to establish, organize, and lead a team. They must know the typical product development life cycle and be able to select the right development methodology for the product and the target market. To meet these challenges to product team leadership, we will consider the phases of product development and the roles that product managers play in each step. We’ll examine a variety of team structures and product development methodologies, and the importance of establishing a team charter. Lastly, we will also explore the opportunities and challenges of market development and commercialization. We’ll provide an orientation to key marketing concepts critical to developing and commercializing innovative products and services.

What you'll learn

• Roles and responsibilities of the product manager. The job of the product manager, skills and competencies, and stakeholder management
• Managing innovative product teams. Organizing and managing a product team, product development life cycle, development methodologies, and engaging with stakeholders and funding sources
• Marketing challenges and guiding principles. Marketing challenges, common marketing mistakes, know your customer, and rethinking the 4P’s of marketing
• Customer development. Revisiting customer development, highlights from the Customer Development Manifesto, market type and marketing, and how market type affects marketing strategy
• Crossing the chasm. Basics of crossing the chasm, solving customer problems, segmenting the market, and expanding your market