Product Management

[shizit]

Does anyone have any information relating to product management? I would like to know what are the roles and responsibilities of a product manager when following ITIL?

Thanks in advance.

[m_croon]

Shizit,

I think you ought to turn it around:
Why not ask what your organization wants a product manager to do, instead of asking ITIL. I make the assumption that your organisation is at present implementing or improving this role? Why? What problems are you trying to solve? What is your aim?

Is there lack of commercial focus wihtin your organisation? Maybe you'd like a product manager to stay in close contact with your customer through service level management (=ITIL).

Is there lack of steering of suppliers? Maybe you'd like a product manager to stay in close contact with them? In that case i'd suggest you also look improving procurement.

Is there lack of development of new functionalties, or lack of cooperation between IT support dept and application management? Maybe ASL (Application Service Library) can help?

Only if you have a defined problem, you can select what ITIL processes might help you solve it. Roles and Resps. for a product manager will be destilled from this selection. Maybe it is wise to make them members of your CAB? (role in Change management). Maybe they should be responsible for direct contact with customers? (part of service level management).

Hope this helps

[Guerino1]

Hello Shizit,

From our experience, Product Management is a function and Product Manager is a role that are both accountable to the Product Owner. In small companies, one person may do both. In larger enterprises, it may be a group that owns the Product and another group that acts as the Product Managers for it. The Product Managers are usually delegates of the Product Owners. The reason is that Product Owners usually manage a large portfolio of Products, whereas Product Managers usually have so much work around the one or few that they manage that they have no bandwidth to do more.

Product Management is also a role that has been around for decades and you can find details about it in a great book called "Crossing the Chasm" by Moore. This book describes how Product Management aligns heavily with the marketing function of an enterprise and how it is intended to ultimately manage the growth of the Product, as it pertains to gaining market share, customers satisfaction, time-to-market, cost, and quality.

Ultimately, the Product Manager is granted some level of authority to drive the strategy of the Product. They decide on Releases and ensure that Release Managers are assigned and made accountable. Sometimes they act as the Release Managers, themseves. They work with the Development Managers to decide on what Risks, Problems, and Requirements will be addressed in each Release. They are in constant contact with customers and end users through various channels and ultimately understand the details of the product as it pertains to its full lifecycle and how that lifecycle matches up against all external variables.

As this role is accountable to the Product Owner, the Product Owner has the last say in everything.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
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[Edited by Admin to remove link]