Modern digital products require constant innovation and iteration. This calls for innovative management solutions as well. Whether you need to launch a new product or update an existing one, you’ll need the right team to support you. But this team is not going to be managed by itself; you need reliable leaders that can recruit talented professionals and get the best out of them.
Product Manager or Project Manager?
Modern digital products require constant innovation and iteration. This calls for innovative management solutions as well. Whether you need to launch a new product or update an existing one, you’ll need the right team to support you. But this team is not going to be managed by itself; you need reliable leaders that can recruit talented professionals and get the best out of them.
Who Is a Project Manager?
When we talk about a project, we are referring to a path toward reaching a specific goal. Projects have time frames which can be in the short- or long-term. Since projects are usually complex, a project manager is needed. This is the person in charge of establishing and supervising the tasks that need to be fulfilled to reach said goal.
Thus, a project manager is in charge of the project’s organization, having the following responsibilities:
- Risk Assessment
The PM analyses all possible risks and develops mechanisms to avoid or minimize them.
- Budget Management
He or she is in charge of establishing a budget to cover the expenses throughout the whole process. This takes a great deal of planning.
- Team Formation
Your PM will be responsible for gathering a team with the right talent to make the project a reality. Then, he or she must make sure to provide all necessary resources for the tasks to be fulfilled.
- Feasibility Analysis
The project manager is the one who assesses the project’s feasibility and whether all resources are in place to reach the desired goal.
Who Is a Product Manager?
Unlike a project, a product is an object that you obtain as a result of a creative process. Generally, products are developed to satisfy the needs of users or clients. Thus, the product manager is the one who oversees the product life cycle from the first idea to the sales strategies.
These are the main responsibilities of a product manager:
- User Involvement
The PDM is in constant communication with potential clients/users. They are in charge of gathering information on users’ behavior.
- Road Map
They are also responsible for creating and implementing a road map. In other words, they implement a plan that reflects the product’s life cycle.
- Product Marketing
Since they are the ones who are most involved with the development, they work hand in glove with the marketing department to promote the product efficiently.
TechVariable’s Recommendation
Thanks to our extensive experience in this field, we present two possible scenarios and which approach we recommend for each.
- Scenario One
A client has his business data on a specific server and he wants to shift it to a cloud system. He is looking for a provider that can establish this new database, manage information, and conduct analytics.
What We Recommend
This is the perfect field for a project manager to thrive. Your PM will be in charge of the process which doesn’t end only once the database is delivered. The manager will thus organize the tasks and get the right team to fulfill them. He or she will establish the milestones and time frames during the migration process and the cloud maintenance activities.
- Scenario 2
A client wants to develop a new retail app that sells shoes in a specific area. The team is to create software that’s based on a specific market and that users find appealing and easy to manage.
What We Recommend
In this case, we recommend appointing a product manager. Your PDM will research the market and figure out what the users prefer in that area. Based on this, he or she will create a roadmap for product development. Every prototype will be tested in the real market with MVPs, MMPs, and MLPs, and this information will be shared with the marketing team as well.
How to Choose Between a PM and a PDM
The first thing you need to consider is what your main goal is. A product manager controls the product, while the project manager is responsible for the whole project.
The PDM will work as a connector between the sales/marketing departments and the design/development divisions. On the other hand, a PM will organize the budget and the resources to achieve a certain goal, while supervising the process.
