What makes a platform PM tick?

Let's talk.. An Evolving View of Product Management: being a great SPM is less about a static list of skills and more about having lived the product's journey. As a student of software product management, I’ve learned about many key ideas like product-market fit, the product adoption lifecycle, user feedback, and metrics. The goal for all of us is to understand how to become good product managers at work. Since I already have some work experience, my view has changed over time. I now think less about just learning the concepts and more about how the full product journey works — from the first idea to the moment the product reaches users. > The Journey: From Idea to Market This journey is more than just theory. It starts with studying competitors and setting a clear product vision that matches the company’s goals. Then comes product discovery, which helps test and validate ideas. But even if discovery goes well, a product can still fail if the timing for product-market fit isn’t right. After that, the focus moves to building the product. When creating an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), the main goal is to make the “hero” feature — the main value of the product — very clear. Sometimes that one small feature ends up defining the entire product. > The Base: The PMF Pyramid This all connects to the product-market fit pyramid. We often focus on the top parts like features and design, but great products start from the bottom — by truly understanding the target market and people’s unmet needs. The best product ideas often come from seeing those needs first. > The Real Product Manager: Skills and Growth We often talk about what skills a product manager needs — being a good communicator, knowing how to negotiate, understanding the big picture, and connecting the team and customers. These skills matter, but being a great product manager is more than that. It’s about going through the whole product journey — doing discovery, making tough changes, and learning from mistakes. A true product manager knows that customer satisfaction is the most important result of all. The journey never really ends, because every product and every user story brings another chance to learn and improve. Yes, I’m excited to learn more about this and explore it further. Shirisha Salandri

Product Management is overhyped. That is what I told myself after doing (and failing at) it for the first 2 years. Turns out, I had no idea what a PM really did. After 12 years of seeing world-class PMs up close, I have a much better definition of the role. But, sadly, even today, more than 60% PMs are in the same boat: confused and clueless about "what does a PM do" Here’s the simplest mental model to think of a PM's role: A PM is responsible for finding answers to these questions. 1. Where do we want to go? 2. How will we get there? 3. What problems should we solve to get there? 4. Are all important people on the same page? 5. What solutions to build? How to deliver on time? 6. How do we know we're making progress? Let's understand in detail: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼 A PM must create a clear vision so the entire team knows the destination. Build a deep understanding of the market, customer needs, and company’s goals. Regularly communicate the vision to ensure everyone knows it, agrees with it, and remembers it. Every successful product starts with a clear and ambitious vision 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗪𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 A PM needs to create a strategy to reach the vision. A PM should define what to focus on, what to avoid, target users, market trends, and strengths/weaknesses. Then, collaborate with teams to refine this strategy and adjust based on feedback and market changes. A well-defined strategy is crucial to success. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗪𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 Prioritizing the right problems is the only way to create value for users. Understand user's real needs, prioritize the critical ones that align with the vision. Do this continuously, not just annually. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲 Identify the people who can help you be successful. Ensure they're aligned. Communicate proactively and transparently. Involve relevant people in decisions, and iterate based on feedback. Regularly check if they're still aligned. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲? Brainstorm the best solutions and build those that have value for the user. Deliver on time to maximise impact. Users will use (and love) your product if it solves their problems 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 It is not progress, if it can't be measured. Create clear metrics and success criteria. Review progress regularly to measure success / failure. When off track, adjust your roadmap or your goals or both. With every success / failure, ensure you learn and get better. Measuring success keeps everyone focused and accountable. -- Want more details? I am documenting everything I know about the PM role in a Google Doc (linked in the comments) You can access it for free, no email required, no pay wall. I will keep it updated as my understanding of the role keeps evolving.

From Everyday Hustle to Product Management Mastery: "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤" 🏅 Through my own journey, I realized that the principles I apply in daily life align perfectly with what it takes to thrive in product management. That’s how I came up with this framework: 𝐂 – 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 Treat each day as a challenge to improve and excel. Whether it’s managing time or getting things done faster, challenge yourself in everything you do. In Product Management, this means constantly pushing boundaries and looking for ways to perform better and achieve greater results. 𝐇 – 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 Always seek innovative ways to solve problems. Don’t settle for the first solution that comes to mind. Look for alternatives that can improve efficiency, appeal, and results. Product managers thrive when they think creatively and offer fresh perspectives on old problems. 𝐀 – 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 Taking on projects beyond your current scope pushes you out of your comfort zone. Stretch your abilities by taking on tasks or roles that challenge your current skill set. As a Product Manager, leading larger, cross-functional initiatives will accelerate your growth and help you understand the bigger picture. 𝐌 – 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Avoid overanalyzing and embrace doing. In Product Management, this translates to making decisions quickly and iterating along the way. Action fosters momentum, and starting is often the most important step in driving forward progress. 𝐏 – 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 Ask insightful questions to gain clarity and discover hidden insights. Don’t just settle for surface-level information—dive deeper to understand the real issues and needs. In Product Management, questioning helps uncover user pain points, stakeholder priorities, and untapped opportunities. 𝐈 – 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 The first step is the hardest but often the most important. Take initiative, even when the task seems tough or uncertain. Once you start, you’ll build momentum and make it easier to navigate challenges and course-correct as needed. 𝐎 – 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 Build trust by being genuine and transparent with everyone you interact with. In today’s world, people value authenticity over perfection. As a Product Manager, creating real connections will allow you to lead more effectively and collaborate seamlessly across teams. 𝐍 – 𝐍𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 In any leadership role, especially Product Management, relationships matter. Make people feel valued, connected, and understood. Strong relationships create an environment where collaboration thrives and ideas flow freely, helping you build better products with your team. #productmanagement #leadership #Selfgrowth

India’s Product Management Discipline Needs a Strategic Reset Executive Summary India’s product management discipline is at a critical turning point. Once a growth engine, it has been reduced to a task-driven role hurting long-term profitability, innovation, and competitiveness. Despite strategic talk, the daily reality for many PMs in both startups and large enterprises is limited to managing timelines, writing BRDs, and coordinating releases. As a result, the real drivers of product success—user insight, clear vision, and market-focused innovation are often overlooked. This isn’t about talent it’s about weak leadership, scattered strategy, and siloed teams chasing innovation without direction. Across sectors Helathcare , BFSI and SaaS, PMs are viewed as coordinators rather than empowered decision-makers. Their role has shifted from owning product vision to simply handling tasks widening the gap between strategy and execution. Industry face four major problems: PMs Misunderstood PMs are treated like project managers or analysts, judged by delivery speed instead of product success. This limits their impact and leaves companies exposed to faster, smarter competitors. Weak Market Understanding Many PMs don’t fully understand their users or the market. They copy ideas from global apps without adapting them to India’s unique needs. Without deep knowledge of customer behavior and culture, products miss the mark Design Comes Too Late Design is often added at the end, just to make things look good. But design should solve problems and improve user experience. Without early research and design, products feel confusing and hard to use Wrong Pricing Approach Pricing is based on how hard a feature is to build, not how useful it is to the customer. This leads to lost revenue and poor value. PMs should lead pricing decisions based on what customers are willing to pay. The Way Forward: Fixing this isn’t about small changes,it needs a full reset in how we think about product management: 1. Give PMs Real Ownership PMs should be responsible for business results like revenue, market share, and customer value not just delivery timelines 2. Make Research a Habit Product discovery should happen all the time. Use data, testing, and user feedback to guide decisions 3. Start with Design Include design and research from day one. Good design isn’t decoration it’s how products win users. 4. Price Based on Value Move away from effort-based pricing. Understand what customers truly value and adjust pricing to match. Conclusion: We can keep treating product management as a support role or we can turn it into the strategic engine it’s meant to be. The time to act is now. Let’s redefine the role, build stronger teams, and focus on real outcomes. As per Gibson Biddle “A good product manager thinks like a scientist, acts like a designer, and leads like a general” #ProductManagement #IndiaTech #PricingStrategy #StartupGrowth #Innovation #BusinessStrategy #AIM #Gartner

One of the most underrated skills in product management is the ability to modernize without overcomplicating. Anyone can design something shiny 🪩 and new, but real value comes from taking what’s outdated, stripping away the inefficiencies, and reimagining it into something people actually want to use. That’s where trust 🤝 is built—by proving you can evolve a product in a way that feels both fresh and familiar. Here are some best practices that illustrate how to deliver real product value. 🚀🚀🚀 http://bit.ly/47eATBp

Product Management: A Journey from Misconception to Clarity When I first considered diving into the world of product management, I admit, I had a common misconception: I thought it was similar to project management. My research and introductory class quickly revealed that while they are related, their roles are distinct and crucial for product success. Product Management is NOT Project Management. Project management focuses on how and when a product gets built, ensuring tasks are completed on time and within budget. Product management, however, is about discovering what needs to be built and why. I learned a powerful definition by Marty Cagan: Product management is about discovering a product that is valuable, usable, and feasible. 📌Valuable: Does it solve a real customer problem? Does it align with organizational goals and investor expectations? 📌Usable: Is the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) intuitive, enjoyable, and effective for the user? 📌Feasible: Can our engineering and technical teams actually build it? Can it be done efficiently, perhaps with low initial capital? 🎯 The Product Triad: One Team, One Goal For any successful product, a cohesive "Triad" is essential: {Product Management (PM) + Engineering (Eng) + User Experience (UX) = {ONE TEAM} Each member of this triad leads in their specific domain, but they operate as a unified force, considering each other's perspectives at every step. The Product Manager: Conductor, Not CEO My class taught me that a product manager shouldn't see themselves as the CEO of the product. Instead, they are more like the conductor of an orchestra. They oversee every section, ensuring all teams are aligned, working in harmony, and contributing their best. A great product manager is the quiet force behind a successful product, often in the background when the project earns its accolades. ❓What's Your Product Insight? Which products do you use daily, which ones do you think gives exceptional value, usability, or feasibility? Share your thoughts and tell me why! Seeing my post for the first time, I am Maryann Omeke a product manager in training. Let's connect.

AI will replace Product Managers completely! Product Management has always been about orchestrating vision, strategy, and user-centric delivery. Recently, though, I have seen a new wave, business leaders moving into the product decision territory, mostly with AI in the passenger seat. The intent is usually cost control or speed, but the result is a growing disconnect from what makes products truly good and valuable. PMs are getting skipped, and their expertise and interpersonal skills aren't easily replaced by a dashboard, an AI output or an exec’s gut feel. When business takes over product direction, teams lose the context and nuance that PMs bring. Product Management becomes a checkbox, tech teams get blunt orders, and user empathy takes a backseat. The pre-product era returns: solutions get built to spec, then blamed for missing the mark as these don't resonate with the users as expected. With AI, it's even easier to fall into these echo chambers. AI-driven decisions look objective but actually can sideline the decision maker's judgment. Unfortunately I have seen this too often, the AI or the executive gut feel say to go left, tech builds left as a result, but the users actually wanted right. Usually in these cases, the results outcome will not take into account the model or the way the decision was made, the builders would be the ones held accountable for the results. Innovation slows, teams disengage, users satisfaction tanks and the stakeholders ownership on the results decreases. There’s a fix, but it takes work. PMs need to get loud about their wins and highlight feature launches, customer stories, real impact. Show the internal stakeholders and decision makers the humans behind the roadmap. Get stakeholders involved and show how Product Management isn't just a black box but a lever for growth. AI can be a tool within the process, not a threat, but only if PMs guide its use with transparency and user focus. In my opinion companies can transform by making their Product function visible, valued, and central. The risk is real if Product fades into the background, but the upside is huge for companies that treat PM as a strategic advantage. How are you reshaping your organization's product function with AI? Would love to hear how organizations are reshaping their responsibilities with the new tools that are out there. 

Welcome to Product Springboard! For the past year, Product Springboard has been quietly operating behind the scenes — helping brands like Evelyn Jack™, Atmospheric Arcana™, and Golden Atlas Studio LLC develop, launch, and scale their products through data-driven strategy and human-centered execution. Born from a simple idea — that every product deserves a thoughtful launch, a purposeful lifecycle, and a graceful sunset — Product Springboard provides end-to-end Product Management consulting for B2B companies and entrepreneurs. From market research and product strategy to UX consulting, agile execution, and sales enablement, we help teams turn big ideas into real-world success stories. Whether you're a startup defining your first roadmap, a SaaS company scaling your platform, or an enterprise revitalizing a legacy product line — Product Springboard helps you build momentum where it matters most. Explore our services: ●      Product Strategy and Road Mapping  ●      Market Research and Competitive Analysis  ●      Product Development and Lifecycle Management ●      Sales Enablement ●      Agile Product Management and Project Execution ●      Waterfall Methodology for Structured Project Execution ●      User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) Consulting  ●      Fractional Product Management & Cross-Functional Team Collaboration Visit our new site at SpringboardProduct.com and follow along as we share insights, frameworks, and stories from the world of Product Management. ✨ Product Springboard — helping ideas take shape and soar.

Empathy: A Core Technical Skill in Product Management. Empathy may not sound like a “technical” skill, but in product management, it’s one of the most powerful and practical abilities a professional can develop. At its core, product management is about understanding people, users, stakeholders, team members and creating solutions that genuinely meet their needs. Empathy bridges the gap between data and real human experience. It helps product managers interpret user feedback beyond numbers, align business goals with customer value, and communicate effectively across teams. Over time, I’ve come to see empathy as a skill that can be learned and strengthened through intentional practice. I’ve developed it by: Listening deeply to user stories rather than jumping to conclusions. Collaborating with cross-functional teams to understand different perspectives and constraints.Engaging in feedback sessions that reveal not just what users say, but what they truly feel. Currently, I’m further developing this skill by participating in user research activities, observing user journeys, and reflecting on feedback to make better product decisions. I’m also learning to balance empathy with data — using insights to drive both user satisfaction and business growth. In the end, empathy transforms a product manager from someone who builds features into someone who builds experiences that matter.

Product Management: Why Everyone Thinks They Know What PMs Do (But Don’t) After years in tech, I’m still amazed how many people are confused about what product managers actually do. Some think PMs are just project managers with fancy titles. Others think we’re idea machines who hand off specs and wait for engineers to build the magic. Truth is it’s way messier than that. Product management lives in that tricky middle ground between business, design, and engineering. You don’t really own any of them, but you’re accountable for how well they all fit together. A PM’s real job? To figure out why something needs to be built and what exactly should be built. The how belongs to the engineers and designers… though, let’s be honest, we all end up in each other’s lanes sometimes. One of the biggest misconceptions I still hear is that PMs are the “CEO of the product.” That sounds nice in theory, but we don’t have anyone reporting to us. We lead through influence not authority. That means building trust, proving you understand both the business and the tech, and being able to speak everyone’s language. If you can’t hold a conversation about architecture, APIs, or data models, it’s hard to earn credibility with engineers. And yes being tech-savvy matters. You don’t have to code daily, but if you can’t at least understand how the system works, you’re flying blind. The best PMs I’ve worked with can jump into a tech discussion, connect the dots, and help unblock things logically not just forward Slack messages. Knowing a bit of how things actually work lets you make better trade-offs, faster. But it’s not just about tech. You also need empathy for your users and clarity on the business goals. Good product management means finding that middle ground where what you build actually helps people and moves the metrics that matter. Half the job is saying no, negotiating scope, and still keeping the team motivated. At the end of the day, PM isn’t about managing features it’s about managing outcomes. Did we make users happier? Did we improve the business? Did we actually move the needle? Most days it’s not glamorous it’s a lot of ambiguity, trade-offs, and convincing people to believe in a shared direction. But when it works - when you see real people using something your team built that’s when it all feels worth it. If you’re new to product management or thinking about it: Be curious. Stay technical. Learn how to translate between worlds. That’s where the real magic of product management happens.