Product manager is a very challenging job. Before a newcomer decides to make a product, it is necessary to know the psychological preparation he should have to become a product manager. It's better to say "ugly words" first.
1. Is the product manager the soul of the team?
In some cases, yes.
Why do you say it's under certain circumstances? Because whether the product manager becomes the soul of the team depends entirely on whether he is reliable, careful in logical thinking and smooth in communication and cooperation. ...
No one can casually become the soul and core. The project team is a small team and the company is a big team. Few people can be the soul and the core. Most product managers just do some communication and cooperation work, which is not as important as they think. What? If you want to be the soul of the team, you might as well study how Chairman Mao led the people to victory in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
2. Is the product manager's job to direct others to do things?
Absolutely not.
Directing others to do things according to their own ideas is the dream of many product managers, but not everyone can do it. It can be said that almost no product manager simply directs others to do things except the company leaders who call themselves product managers.
The work of the product manager is as follows:
1) Before you do something, you need to think all the logic clearly. A little carelessness may cause great losses.
2) When talking about requirements, you need to express clearly, which depends on your logical thinking ability and communication ability.
3) You will receive challenges from all sides. Developers, testers and designers will ask questions. You need to evaluate quickly and make a decision, which determines the trust of others.
4) Most of the time, you are thinking hard, playing with the prototype and writing the document. ...
5) Most importantly, you need to keep learning, learning all aspects of knowledge, such as psychology, behavior, data analysis, design, and even technology.
……
Are you ready?
3. Is the product manager so hard?
Not so absolute.
The work of the product manager is trivial and complicated, but it is not always as hard as mentioned above, such as:
1) painstakingly made the product, and finally it's time for the product to go online.
2) Design and development. Everyone agrees with their ideas and does as they say.
3) After the product was launched, many users gave feedback, and they sincerely hoped that the product would be better.
4) Products are valued by leaders. When problems arise, leaders will constantly coordinate resources to support and solve problems.
Cultivation of thinking habits of new product developers
The types and characteristics of new products have been described above. The new product lacks thinking consciousness and theoretical knowledge, but it is full of enthusiasm and self-motivation. Since new products choose to take the road of product manager and want to go further, we should study hard and strengthen the cultivation of thinking and habits.
Habit shapes thinking, thinking affects habit, and the combination of thinking and habit can strengthen habit and deepen thinking.
So, where should we cultivate our thinking habits? From the perspective of human five senses.
1. Look (eyes)-learn
Zhuge Liang once said: "If you don't learn, you will have it." The vision of the product manager determines his development, and learning determines the vision of the product manager. Learning, in our impression, is sitting in a bright classroom and listening to lectures. Actually, it is not. Many times you need to do it yourself without taking up working time. So how to study? Look, look, look in the eyes, absorb.
1) reading
As the saying goes, books are the ladder of human progress. As early as before, someone summed up "X books that product managers must read" (for reference:/1826759693/zumynk1we). I believe that as a new product, there is no need to read books. Then, as a new product, should we read it through according to the instructions?
Obviously not.
There are always many people boasting about the concepts of "required reading" and "required reading". After reading it, I think it is universal for everyone. Some people don't even read them. We can't say that these concept books are useless, at least tell us what books are related to the products, but if newcomers read them indiscriminately, it is a kind of poison.
Every book has a virtual reader when it is created. What do you need to know and read in this book, but everyone has a different foundation. Whether a book is suitable for you now and when it is suitable for reading requires detailed investigation and thinking. So do the chapters in the book. Large and comprehensive books abound, and not every chapter is suitable for you to read. Reading appropriate chapters selectively and spending time reading more appropriate books or chapters often get twice the result with half the effort.
Statement: Reading is the basic right of human beings. I don't care what books you read or how you read them. I'm talking about "fit" here.
Take the famous work Everyone is a Product Manager in the product field as an example. This book is a set of practical product ideas summarized by Brother Su Jie from his own work and combined with his own experience and feelings. Suitable for students, product managers, product planners, demand analysts, etc.
Starting with the concept of product manager, this book covers almost all the core work of product manager through demand, project, team, strategy and cultivation. So how should newcomers read this book?
Dialectical, selective and phased reading.
Dialectical reading.
Each book represents only one point of view, and it is impossible to cover all aspects of things, so we should look at it dialectically instead of accepting it all. For example, newcomers need to understand the concept of product manager first, so you need to read through chapter 1, but unfortunately, chapter 1 is intended to convey the statement of "-1 for 3-year-old product managers", and the description of product managers is slightly less. For a deeper understanding, you can find similar books and chapters, such as the prototype chapter of Weaving the Web. You will have an overall grasp of the work and role of the product manager, know whether you are really suitable through professional tests, find your own shortcomings and make up for them better.
Selective reading.
According to the shortcomings in your work, read selectively to make up for them, rather than coveting too much. For example, if you find that you don't have a good grasp of users' needs at work, you should read through the second chapter of this book and learn how to collect and analyze users' needs, and what to do in the face of users' needs (listen but don't do it). Slowly, you will find that you are standing with users, and you know what they want and need. It is wise to choose reading according to your own needs.
Read in stages.
According to your own career development and planning, study in stages, not radical greed. As a newcomer, you should know more about the concept and responsibilities of product managers. Don't look at such things as "project management" and "product document writing". It is most important to lay a good foundation. A few months after joining the company, the leader begins to ask you to do some competitiveness analysis, so study how to do competitiveness analysis (unfortunately, this part is not covered in this book). When you gradually master and begin to participate in some projects, writing documents and project management will be put on the agenda ... A new product will come up with project management, team management (Chapter III and Chapter IV) and so on, which is a waste of time and is still very chaotic.
Recommended bibliography
Recommend some product-related books suitable for newcomers to read:
Thinking guide: learning to ask questions-a guide to critical thinking
Industry overview: the top of the wave
A practical product: everyone is a product manager.
A New Concept of Design: Design Psychology
Besides books related to products, it is also essential to choose other types of books according to personal interests to broaden your horizons. In the final analysis, as long as you study, you will always gain something.
In fact, reading is not the most important thing. The most important thing is how to choose books, how to read books and how to learn knowledge from books. Think in the process of reading, apply the theory in the book to practice, and then deepen your thinking and use it flexibly.
2) Look at industry trends
This article refers to the product manager of the Internet software industry.
As we all know, the Internet software industry is changing rapidly. If you want to be eliminated, you must always pay attention to the development of the industry. If you miss some information for some reason, it may be a sudden change. So how to pay attention to industry trends?
Appropriate access to dynamic information.
Watching the news and understanding the industry trends is an indispensable job for newcomers to products, but it is far from the job of product managers themselves. Looking at industry trends can only help you understand the ins and outs of the industry and product development, and will not tell us how to make products. These are two different things. Therefore, don't turn a deaf ear to industry trends, and don't get too much information and just talk about Kan Kan.
Not credulous.
With its ever-changing characteristics, the Internet has an endless stream of information, and the authenticity and reliability of the information are debatable, especially all kinds of prophetic articles. You know, there are a group of professional writers in the industry. They call themselves "Internet analysts" and like to evaluate the products of various companies. They pointed out that Jiangshan is very heroic and the quality of the content is not guaranteed. Therefore, don't believe the opinions in the article, learn to think independently, analyze the facts behind the news and see the different opinions in the comments.
Analyze the cause and effect.
Every day, the industry news is classified into different categories, and there is little contact between them. However, if you learn to integrate, you will have a different understanding. Synthesize the dynamic news of many days, and you will have an overall understanding.
For example, it is recently rumored that Tencent will inject tens of millions of dollars into Didi taxi.
This is a rumor about an investment case. First, analyze its authenticity. You know from the previous news that there are more than 30 taxi applications in China, and the market is close to saturation in just 1 year. Venture capitalists are also eager to cultivate a new star, so you think Tencent's investment is still possible.
Secondly, combined with Tencent's previous investment cases, you know that investing in Kaixin.com is intended to curb SNS, investing in Crocodile Dragon is intended to enter online travel, investing in Jinshan is intended to contain 360, and investing in music shopping is intended to lay out B2C…… ............................................................................................................ The positioning of taxi application is to help users solve the problem of taxi difficulty. Deep integration of social resources may bring great changes to people's habits and social development, so you think Tencent is more likely to invest in Didi taxis.
Then, combined with your understanding of taxi application, users can take a taxi efficiently and accurately through voice communication with drivers from 1 to 1 without manual telephone calls. You associate the rapid development of WeChat with your failure to find a business model. WeChat is also based on voice communication from 1 to 1. So, you think Tencent has entered the taxi application field by investing in Didi taxis and cooperated with WeChat.
Through the above causal analysis, you will find that your thinking is much clearer and you have your own understanding. (Note: The above content is purely a wild guess by the author. Whether to invest or not needs to be verified. Please correct me if there is anything wrong).
Recommended sources of information.
Recommend some professional websites and information sources that report industry trends, suitable for newcomers to read:
Sina Weibo: The official Weibo, who pays attention to some companies in the industry, is the most timely source of information.
Zhihu: Zhihu has gathered a large number of industry celebrities, and you can see in-depth interpretation (which also needs dialectical treatment)
Science and technology media: such as 36Kr, SocialBeta, Tiger Sniff, and everyone is a product manager community.
Wechat: Pay attention to some WeChat WeChat official account, and you can get targeted information and avoid omissions.
2. Listen (ear)-Listen
Listening and watching are both important ways for human beings to obtain information. As the saying goes, "seeing is not necessarily believing." At this time, you need to give each other a chance to speak. This is the role of listening. It can help you understand more real and comprehensive information and support you to make more correct decisions.
What to listen to and how to listen to it is the key to the art of listening. What should newcomers listen to?
1) Listen to the leader's arrangement.
Why put this in the first place? It is because the leader determines your career development path, and he is responsible for your development in the company at what stage you contact.
A responsible leader is to think deeply about how to lead you into the door of products and guide your later development. So you need to listen to his lectures carefully, listen to what he has arranged for you to do, and complete it with the right attitude.
As for irresponsible leadership, you are too busy to control yourself. At this time, you still have to listen carefully and completely, but in addition, you need to strengthen personal exploration and learning.
Please judge for yourself how reliable the leader is.
2) Listen to users' opinions
Users here include feedback from real users and opinions from the team.
Feedback from real users is the source of product optimization and improvement. Only by fully analyzing the users' feedback can we grasp the users as a whole and have a deeper understanding of the leaders' product decisions.
The opinions of the team include the feedback of products within the team and the guidance of predecessors. By comparing the feedback from the team and users, we can understand the balance between the users' needs and the business needs of the team, and how to better meet the needs of all aspects to achieve a win-win situation. The guidance of our ancestors will help us get familiar with our business better and integrate into our work faster.
So how should newcomers listen to products?
1) Listen carefully to both.
As the saying goes, "Listening with all sides is bright, but listening with one side is dark", that is to say, only by listening to opinions from all sides at the same time can we correctly understand things. If you only believe one side of the story, you will inevitably make one-sided mistakes. Learn more about some users' feedback and listen to others' opinions, so as to have a more comprehensive understanding of things.
2) Listen selectively.
The more comprehensive you listen, the more noise you will generate in the information you hear. You can't receive all the sounds you hear. You need to evaluate whether what you hear is correct through your own analysis and find the most fundamental needs of the other party.
For example, you hear users say, I want KFC or McDonald's. Do you want to analyze why KFC or McDonald's? Maybe the user wants to eat KFC or McDonald's, or maybe the user is just hungry. Then you have to analyze the situation. Judging from the user's statement, the user did not specify KFC or McDonald's, so it can be guessed that the user has no special requirements for what to eat, and it can be guessed that the user is just hungry. Next, we will verify that we can give buns to users to see if they are satisfied, and adjust the strategy according to their satisfaction.
3) Listening is secondary, and the key is the action after listening.
Listening is not the main purpose, but the action after listening, because all listening is for action. From the moment you hear the action, you have to go through the stage of thinking. If you think clearly, your actions will be clear.
For example, if you collect hundreds of user feedbacks, you need to classify them first, where are these user feedbacks concentrated, and then see what each category is subdivided into. Then, you can evaluate whether each feedback is correct, and get the decision on how to deal with each feedback (invalid feedback, feedback to be verified, effective feedback), then evaluate the implementation scheme and priority (high or low) of effective feedback, and finally decide how and when to meet this feedback in combination with departmental product planning and resource arrangement.
3. Move (hand)-dig
The so-called movement is to operate, use and dig with hands, and the process of hands-on is also a process of exploration, during which the gains are beyond the reach of mere watching and listening; On the contrary, when we are uncertain about what we see and hear, we often need to verify it ourselves. So as a new product, where should we start and how to start digging?
1) Start using new products.
Hands-on use of new products is intended to maintain the sensitivity of an industry. The company will install and use new products or major updates as soon as possible. On the one hand, it is an understanding of product functions, on the other hand, it is also used to verify various assumptions and predict the development.
For example, when WeChat version 4.5 was released, you updated the version for the first time, and then played it yourself. What updates were made before the comparison? Oh, you found a new real-time intercom function, which is somewhat similar to YY. This can be used for meetings. Very good, easy to understand, combined with the official version of the update instructions, so this update is very clear.
2) Hands-on test hypothesis
First there are problems, then there are assumptions, then we start to verify the assumptions and finally come to a conclusion. This is a classic procedure of scientific inquiry and a classic method of product learning.
For example, in mid-March, the IOS version of Path 3.0 iOS was launched, and a sticker store was added. You updated the version at the first time and found it very good after trying it out. It is estimated that it will be very popular with users, and more users will pay for it. Suppose it comes out. Imagine what similar products also have such a sticker shop. After searching and consulting, you found that WeChat, line and kakao all have similar paid stickers. After taking turns, you don't think there is any special difference between products. The key is whether the quality of the paste meets the user's preferences. You search Weibo to check the user feedback, and see that the user's feedback on Line and other posts is good, so you can boldly think that Path is bound to be faster. Today, on April 30th, path announced that the number of registered users exceeded 6.5438+million, which basically showed that the hypothesis was established.
The above hypothesis verification process is similar to competing product analysis, but it needs your careful thinking and hands-on excavation.
So how should we start digging?
1) ergodic product function
When you get a product, you don't just install it or open it. You need to go through every function of it, and sometimes you even need to change a variety of user identities to use it (such as paying to become a member, etc.). In the process of traversal, you will have an overall grasp of the function realized by the product, and then you can relate it to the logic behind the product.
2) Hands-on cooperation with brain
Hands-on is not the most important thing, but the thinking triggered by hands-on is the most important thing. Hands-on understanding of functions or testing hypotheses requires the cooperation of the brain. You should not only understand the product function points, but also understand the logical process behind the product function, whether there are process problems, and analyze each function point: which are core functions, which are auxiliary functions, and why.
Especially for the analysis of competing products, it is necessary to understand how competing products are designed, how they are different from their own products, why there are such differences, and whether their products should be changed or maintained. None of this can be done by hands. On the other hand, it won't bring much gain.
How to analyze a product is a big topic, which will be discussed later in the "Thinking" section.
4. Oral communication
Good communication skills are the essential core skills of product managers, and the so-called communication skills are actually the ability to listen and tell. Listening patiently, thinking carefully and speaking clearly are a series of processes, which are also a vital part of the work of product managers.
So how should newcomers strengthen the training of "speaking"? First of all, what can I say?
1) Talking about product ideas
By watching, listening, moving, etc. As mentioned above, I believe you have a general understanding of the products, and have your own ideas about the products through the comparison of multiple products and the analysis of the industry situation. Then, say it!
Even if there are Qian Qian's thoughts and troubles, they are just thoughts. With an idea, it makes sense, and the idea will really belong to you.
There are many ways to express your ideas, such as saying them directly or writing them down, and sometimes you may have to argue with others.
2) Say user feedback
There may be some doubts. I want to make products. How to say user feedback? In fact, everyone has a user identity. When you use other people's products, there will always be some feedback, so say it!
Each product will have a special channel to collect user feedback. You can express your feedback through these channels or the official Weibo, and your feedback will be conveyed to the person in charge of the product. Next, you can follow up the product's comments on these feedbacks and the progress of improvement, and pay attention to its next version, whether it has improved its functions, why it has not, and why.
Imagine how happy you would be if your feedback was adopted and improved in the new version. You also contributed to the development of this product. More importantly, in this process, you consider the problem as a user and know how to update the product iteratively. The user's thinking plus the product's thinking is clear at a glance.
So what can I say?
1) Think about it.
You can't say it, you can't say it clearly, to a great extent, because you haven't thought it clearly. Speaking it may be just a flash in the pan, but thinking is a long wait and thinking before flowering.
The criteria for thinking clearly can be: for a certain question, you can list one, two or three. According to MECE principle, any two articles are independent and irrelevant, and you have listed all possible situations.
Of course, this is only the ultimate goal of thinking clearly, just saying that you must think clearly.
2) Listen carefully.
When communicating with others, it is very simple and important to listen clearly to what others say and understand your true intentions before expressing your thoughts. When talking with people, we are often eager to express our ideas and interrupt others without thinking, which is disrespectful to each other and reduces the efficiency of the dialogue.
In fact, communicating with people, the other party is also their own "user". Listening carefully to the ideas of "users" and considering problems from the perspective of users is not the most popular and boastful sentence in the industry.
This article is suitable for some self-righteous leaders who don't listen to others.
5. Thinking (brain)-logic
Finally, it's time to talk about "thinking" The theme of this discussion is the cultivation of thinking habits. Actually, thinking is the most important thing. The aforementioned "seeing", "listening", "moving" and "speaking" must all belong to "thinking". Shaping thinking from the habit of watching, listening and speaking is the true meaning of habit cultivation.
The so-called "thinking" is to cultivate a logical thinking ability, focusing on observing and thinking about the logical process behind things. From the product function, we can see the user's demand, and from the demand, we can see the profit model.
How do you think?
1) think independently
When you encounter problems, think for yourself first, don't ask others' opinions in a hurry, don't blindly follow others' opinions, think for yourself, then consult others' opinions, self-doubt, self-denial, and then correct or optimize your own ideas, so as to expand, why not think so clearly, analyze the reasons, improve next time, and over time, form the habit of independent thinking.
In fact, independent thinking has been taught by teachers since childhood, but many people forget it.
2) Empathy
The so-called empathy is to think from the perspective of others, just like the widely boasted "thinking from the perspective of users" in the industry. Yes, thinking from the user's perspective is the key to empathy. Only by understanding and meeting the needs of users can we win the trust and use of users. Empathy with users, that is to say, using products in the name of users, "turning white in one second" is also a popular way of empathy in the industry. As a newcomer, you don't have to expect these unreliable things, just really consider "whether users will encounter difficulties when using this function" and "whether the function here meets the expectations of users".
Another aspect of empathy is that within the team, everyone has different ideas about problems, such as products and development. Understanding each other's thinking habits plays an important role in the efficiency of communication. This aspect should be reflected in the documents you write, the statement of your needs and so on.
3) Divergent thinking
Divergent thinking is to get rid of stereotypes, not limited to a narrow range, learn to draw inferences from others, and think for others on this basis, and infer unknown ways of thinking according to what is known.
Sometimes, you need to think backwards. For example, when users shop on e-commerce websites, they always fail to pay after submitting orders, and the order conversion rate is very low. Why? There's a problem. You need to use this question to think backwards about why the transaction failed. Is there a problem with the payment process or a user's payment error? What is wrong with the payment process? What mistakes will users encounter when paying? Thinking and investigating with questions, I finally found out that most users are used to Alipay payment, and the website does not support Alipay payment at present, so the next improvement plan is to access Alipay payment as soon as possible.
Sometimes, lateral thinking is needed. For example, the proportion of registered users of a website is much higher than that of male users. At this time, reverse thinking may not be appropriate. It is better to adopt lateral thinking and find a website with similar content form to this website. For example, Beauty said that after comparative analysis, you found that this website, like similar websites, is a community mainly serving female users, which is the reason for the high proportion of female users.
So, when you get a product, what should you analyze from?
First, understand the product features. The product function is external and can be understood by clicking, typing and other operations. Traversing the product functions and understanding the details of each function is the first thing to do to get a product.
Secondly, analyze the requirements behind the function. According to the learned functions, analyze which requirements these functions can meet, which requirements are strong and which requirements are weak.
Third, analyze demand-oriented users. According to the requirements met by the functions, analyze which users will have such requirements, what characteristics these users have, and how users will use these functions to meet the requirements.
Fourth, analyze the business model of the product. According to the combing of subdivided users and demands, the profit model of products based on such users and demands is analyzed. Products without profit cannot last long.
Fifth, analyze the strategic positioning of products. According to the product's business model and current product status, analyze the product's strategic positioning and development layout, and predict how to gradually update the product.
Sixth, analyze the functional interaction of products. Looking back, analyze whether the interaction process of each function point of the product is smooth and whether there are experience problems.
Seventh, understand the visual design of products. Whether the visual display of the product is clearly expressed and ambiguous.
Finally, understand the operation and promotion of products. Jump out of the product, understand the operation and promotion strategy of the product, whether the promotion highlights the core functions, and whether it is easy for users to understand and accept.
Thinking training is the most important part of new products, and it is also inseparable from the cultivation of habits.
6. National (Heart)-Foundation
Finally, talk about mentality. Mentality is often the most neglected factor, but it can exert a great influence imperceptibly. Mentality indicates a person's mental state and affects work efficiency and personal development.
So what kind of mentality should the new product owner take to meet the future work and challenges?
1) empty cup mentality
The so-called empty cup mentality is to empty yourself at any time like a cup and accept anything at any time. The opposite of empty cup mentality is complacency and complacency.
Empty cup mentality is an insatiable self-challenge, a self-denial and zero mentality. Everyone has his own experience and thinks he is extraordinary. In a threesome, we must learn from each other, patiently learn from others with a negative or empty mind, actively communicate with others and share your confusion, so as to grow up faster.
2) Not afraid of making mistakes
People are bound to make mistakes, especially newcomers. In fact, making mistakes is not terrible. The key is whether you will be afraid after making mistakes and whether you will try boldly. Newcomers have the right to make mistakes because they are unfamiliar with business. When making mistakes, they should constantly adjust themselves and try to make fewer mistakes and do more right things.
3) Other mentality
For example, modesty and prudence, such as stress adjustment, enhance the ability to resist stress, such as not being too utilitarian, such as avoiding impetuousness, such as keeping a low profile and practicing basic skills, such as optimism and initiative ... The most primitive mentality is to study hard and make progress every day.
7. The relationship between thinking habits
To sum up, we should cultivate our thinking habits from six aspects: seeing, listening, moving, speaking, thinking and mentality. The relationship between them is shown in the following figure:
Mentality is the foundation, and a good mentality is the basis for ensuring the cultivation of other habits and thinking. Thinking is the core, and other habits, such as watching, listening, moving and speaking, are all attributed to thinking: thinking while watching can make you see deeper, thinking while listening can make you understand faster and more accurately, thinking while moving can make you have a more comprehensive grasp of the product, and thinking before speaking can make you express more clearly and communicate more smoothly.