Whether a business sells tangible goods or services, product management holds a critical position in the organization's pursuit of profits. Because traditional departmental roles continually evolve, and because the business climate is so competitive, the job of product manager has become exceedingly critical—yet it remains very complex. The Product Manager's Desk Reference is the first book to lay down a comprehensive body of knowledge for this critical function, and it is the only book that can effectively guide product managers so that they can establish and build a successful career in product management.
Here, product management expert and practitioner Steven Haines clearly illustrates the entire product life cycle, from beginning to end. This outstanding work is packed with an array of best practices and helpful hints which are critical to the efficient management of products.
There are some books that are destined to become classics in their field. The Product Manager's Desk Reference by Steven Haines is one of those books. Anyone working not just in Product Management but also Marketing and Business Development, should take the time (and it is a hefty volume of 700 pages!) to read and absorb the comprehensive body of knowledge that Steven has organized around Product Management. If that sounds too daunting, be reassured by the fact that this is a reference book as well, so specific topics can be accessed easily without reading the entire book.
Steven demonstrates his vast knowledge of the true scope of the Product Manager's role. After explaining the basics in the first module that goes through the Foundational Elements of Product Management, the Desk Reference then explains the myriad details that position the Product Manager as the end to end owner of the business. Starting with the market analysis of the industry and competition, he then moves onto the fundamental elements of the role by teaching customer need analysis, market segmentation, forecasting and product planning. However he doesn't forget that a Product Manager needs to be the champion who can keep the process moving along with the Product Development team as well as being able to persuasively argue the business case to management to justify the product investment.
In particular, I appreciated that he sees the Marketing function as intricately linked to the Product with the Marketing Plan and details of the Launch synchronized together with the Communications Team and Sales Channels. In Module Four, he ups the ante with a clear-eyed explanation of auditing the launch results as input to running the business and going through the details of the entire lifecycle of Product Portfolio management, including End of Life.
The book has accessible Executive Summaries at the start of each chapter as well as easy to read diagrams and charts and a section at the end of each chapter called PMEQ that are a series of questions and suggestions for raising a Product Manager's Product Management Experience Quotient. Finally, there are two modules at the end about how to be professional and develop your career as a Product Manager and how to develop your employees, if you manage Product Managers. Taking this advice together with the last module, which is a Toolbox for Product Managers, leaves the reader with a full compliment of tools to successfully and methodically manage products, whatever the industry. As an endnote, I liked the extensive glossary, references and resources section, bibliography and comprehensive index.
This is the type of book that you will want to pick up often to check against an idea, template or list, so don't be surprised if it becomes dog eared as you find pages that you will want to get to quickly over and over again. This comprehensive guide should appeal to both neophyte product managers and those with experience, who just need to check a particular area or topic.
Product Details :
Hardcover: 744 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1st edition (August 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0071591346
ISBN-13: 978-0071591348
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 2 x 9.5 inches
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