The Product Manager's Handbook 4/E

by Gorchels, Linda

• ISBN13: 9780071772983
• ISBN10: 0071772987
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-09-07
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

The essential guide to seamless product management for today's fluid, unpredictable business world Long considered the most useful and insightful guide of its kind, The Product Manager's Handbookhas been fully revised and updated to give you the edge in today's challenging business landscape. It features expanded coverage of product development processes, intelligence-gathering techniques (including social media), and a greater emphasis on international issues. This indispensable resource proves that the techniques and tools product managers use are similarregardless of what industry they work in and what kind of products they manage. Simply put, this book has everything you need for superior job performancewhether you manage consumer or business-to-business products created by an organization that is hierarchical or horizontal. The Product Manager's Handbookshows you how to integrate your organization's disparate segments into a cooperative, results-focused unit that produces satisfying productsfrom initial design through the postpurchase experience. If your job is to create and commercialize products, it provides the information you need to: Balance breakthroughs and line extensions Create business casesincluding competitive assessment, market requirements, and risk reduction Conduct gate reviews and beta testing and manage scope creep Get everything in order for a smooth product launch For those who manage existing lines, this guide provides: Specific tips for each of the 4Rs of product life-cycle management Brand guidelines Approaches to customer message management Advice on working with sales and the channel Clear, easy-to-read charts show you how to manage each crucial step from conception to completion, and practical checklists help you evaluate progress at every stage. Interviews with seasoned product management consultants and top-performing product managers provide you with dynamic, proven strategies for addressing potential problems in marketing, production, cross-cultural communication, and more. The Product Manager's Handbookexamines current market-leading companies, the latest research findings, and evolving customer perceptions to provide you with the tools you need to design, produce, and market winning productsand beat the competition at every turn.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. v
Acknowledgments	p. vii
Bedrock Concepts	p. 1
The Multifaceted Nature of Product Management Jobs and Structure	p. 3
Leadership and Management Competencies	p. 15
Business Competencies	p. 37
Intelligence Gathering	p. 59
Planning Frameworks	p. 105
Upstream Product Management Strategic Lew Products and Initiatives	p. 145
Road Maps, Innovation, and The Fuzzy Front End	p. 147
Creating-and Getting Approval For-Business Cases	p. 175
Overseeing The New Product Projects	p. 199
Formulating and Executing Launch Plans	p. 219
Downstream Product Management Ongoing Life-Cycle Management and Growth	p. 249
Life-Cycle Management	p. 251
Managing Brand Equity	p. 283
Marketing Strategy and Go-To-Market Efforts	p. 303
Fine-Tuning	p. 327
Establishing A Global Mindset	p. 329
Goal and Performance Alignment	p. 351
Notes	p. 373
Index
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