passing along a topical article...

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Product Managers
By Alyssa Dver

Product management is the most contradicting of all professions. Product Managers
(PMs) need to be product experts and perpetual students. They are accountable for
the business with the limited tool of influence. They must be creative, articulate
multimedia marketers, and yet able to speak technology, finance, and legal-ese. No
wonder there are so few great Product Managers.
After 20 years researching and working with all types of Product Managers, it is
evident what distinguishes a good Product Manager from a great one. Here I boil it
down to 7 key attributes:

1. Great Product Managers know their product but also knows their own
limits.
Obviously, a PM needs to know as much about the product as possible
including the customers and their use of the product, the competition, the pricing,
! etc. This doesn't mean that the PM should know the details of the code or database
schema. Nothing ticks off engineers like a know-it-all PM. Yes, the PM should be
aware of the overall architecture, what language or toolkit was used, any standards
supported, and interoperability requirements. However, leave the development
details to the pros. A PM will be more respected for it.

2. A great Product Manager listens first.
A PM's job is to evangelize but the biggest failure in doing this is to assume
too much about your audience. Engage and educate people by listening to them
first. A great PM will find out specifically what their audience wants to know and
the best way to deliver it.

3. Great Product Managers ask why, not what.
Great PMs know not to jump on every suggestion made for a product
enhancement or pricing adjustment. They ask why the change is important before
expending valuable time and resources. Only th! e answers to "why" can expose if
there is already a less obvious so lution or if there are other ways to address the
opportunity.

4. Great Product Managers are decisive.
PMs must make decisions regularly and as such, they should be firm and
ready to defend their decisions. Great PMs get data when it's available and if not,
they acknowledge that it is the best decision under the circumstances. They also are
prepared to change their decision if more information becomes available and the
change is yet positive.

5. Great Product Managers are responsive.
Let people know that you aren't ignoring them. When unresponsive, people
assume you are unorganized, pretentious, or incapable. Great PMs are
conscientious about their own image and reputation as they are about their
product's.

6. Great Product Managers communicate frequently, concretely, and
concisely.
The hardest talent may be to say a lot with only a few words. A great way to
do this is to use charts, graphs, and ! other pictorial representation of complex
information. Another way is to spend time becoming a great writer and speaker.
These are not natural gifts but rather practiced arts which when mastered, are the
means to gain and sustain attention and credibility.

7. Great PMs manage passion.
Passion is critical and can't be faked. However, too much passion is
annoying. Great PMS are enthusiastic but they don't lose an honest perspective
that not everyone agrees that their baby is beautiful. Great PMs never lose their
temper at a colleague or superior. They are the ever level-headed negotiators and
influencers. Their opinions are strong but they also strive to obtain win-win. This
is an art form as much as it is a personality trait but great PMs have the confidence
to do the right thing and do it with style.

About the Author
Alyssa Dver's book, "Software Product Management Essentials"
(www.swproductmanagement.com)! has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide and was
recently re-released as a 4th anniversary printing.  The 2007 4th Anniversary Printing of Software Product Management Essentials is now available. Books purchased through
www.swproductmanagement.com will receive electronic access to all the templates.