The Different Types of Group Product Managers

The role of group product manager (GPM) is new in product management. Businesses are becoming more aware of the value of cross-functional cooperation. That’s why it’s gaining a reputation. 

The GPM is in charge of uniting the product team under a unified product vision. They ensure they are all working toward the same goal.

Knowing the technical, business, and product functions that must work collaboratively to deliver a product to market is a must for this role.

Let’s dissect this critical role to see what a group product manager is and how they vary.

Who Is a Group Product Manager

Group product manager (GPM) has become increasingly popular in recent years.

A team leader overseeing several products’ development is known as a group product manager. Product development and team management abilities must exist for the group product manager position. 

Effective GPMs demonstrate the capacity to mentor. They inspire their team members while actively involved in the job.

The group product manager is in charge of developing and maintaining roadmaps. They establish the vision and strategy for the product (s). 

They collaborate with other teams inside the business to guarantee that the products follow the broader business plan.

Difference Between a Group Product Manager and a Product Manager

A product manager (PM) creates a product’s long-term goal and plan. They then explain this plan to all concerned parties and stakeholders. 

PMs oversee product management-related projects or activities, although they normally do not manage people.

Instead, a GPM is on track for organizational leadership. They balance individual product development contributions with people management and development. 

From product conception through launch, GPMs are in charge of organizing and supervising a product team.

The typical path for a GPM is to begin as a product manager. They later advance through the PM levels while harboring a strong drive to manage employees. 

GPMs thus frequently advance to the positions of 

1) Head of Product 

2) Director of Product Management

3) VP of Product

Types of Group Product Managers

There are different types of Group Product Managers in the field. They fulfill the role of setting vision and strategy for the products.

The Marketing Product Manager

The marketing product manager has a natural affinity with the target market. They know the objectives, identities, and driving forces behind their customers’ purchases.

Marketing Product managers contrast with conventional product managers. Marketing product managers focus on growing the firm by achieving short-term goals and increasing revenue.

Marketing product managers must have strong user psychology, analytics, advertising, and sales backgrounds. They must understand the motivations behind a user’s desire. This desire includes preventing that person from urging others to try the product or obtain value.

A marketing product manager is one of the most crucial positions. Especially in a business that has embraced a product-based growth strategy.

This entails the following 

1. choosing a product
2. offering a free assessment, and 
3. including no-touch sales into their marketing strategy.

The MPM can tell which attributes will help a product sell and which ones will be of little benefit to most customers. They recognize the impact of advertising. And the way it can amplify a product’s advantages while hiding its drawbacks.

During the release of a new product introduced to the public, the MPM is a crucial part of the Product team. They’ll offer the best positioning, pricing, and targeting support.

The Design Product Manager

An upgraded version of a current product made under the supervision and coordination of a design product manager. 

Experts and lower-level managers are often under the management of the design product manager.

Design product management is the key component of a successful company that produces exploratory goods.

The person responsible for the user testing of the product is the product designer, who essentially follows corporate aims and objectives.

Depending on the company’s size and diversity, they may act as an interaction designer. Customer experience architect, user experience designer, or information architect adds to the list.

Throughout the key phases of development, the design product manager is crucial.

Because of this, businesses benefit from product designers. They can translate a product objective into a useful user experience at the first design stage.

They ensure the user experience is natural. They reduce effort as the product grows and incorporate additional qualities and capabilities.

When a product has reached maturity, it may assist in improving the user experience. Side-by-side making the product more effective in ramping up page loads, etc.

Some businesses consider design product managers a luxury that can hinder hiring. However, some businesses could choose to recruit a design product manager before any other managers.

The Analytics Product Manager

A technical product manager is comparable to this kind of product manager. And these two groups share a lot of characteristics.

The analytic product manager has the greatest expertise in product power and other firm goods.

They are proficient in 

1) Python, 

2) Multivariate testing, 

3) SQL 

They also understand how important their guidance is for influencing corporate choices.

An analytical product manager was a data science team analyst before moving to products. Like a technical product, the manager was a developer.

The APM is often the most well-informed Product Manager. They know the performance of their goods and the company’s other products. They have an insatiable appetite for info.

Most APMs are dissatisfied with their limited ability to propose product choices. They shift to Products to make decisions that might drastically alter the course of an organization.

The Technical Product Manager

Before the product transition, the Technical Product Manager was nearly usually a developer. Additionally, they weren’t simply a developer; they were one of your finest.

As developers, they knew what could be delivered quickly and cheaply and what required much more time for development. Before they joined the product, they had the instincts of a product manager.

A technical product manager collaborates closely with an organization’s technical team. At times, they overlook their sales, marketing, or business teams.

A background in engineering or development is nearly always necessary. Engineering is a must for technical product management positions.

Every Product team is incredibly fortunate to have a Technical Product Manager. They make up for tactical observations or marketing skill gaps. This is done with their capacity to forge close bonds with developers and increase team productivity.

The Data Product Manager

The data product manager oversees the whole cycle of a company’s internal data usage. They develop a solid data science situation. At times, guidelines, too, while working as a data expert inside a corporation.

The goal of data product management is to enhance the functioning of the entire development process. 

Data-driven goods originate using machine learning and algorithm technologies. This is done to integrate data as a part of their core functioning.

Data product management includes:

1) Organizing 

2) gathering, 

3) distributing

4) keeping data inside a firm

A data products manager is primarily concerned with managing data products like a product manager.

The duties of a data product manager are comparable to those of other product managers. They are focused on creating the perfect result for the user or customer.

The main objective of a data product manager is this. Data are becoming increasingly accepted in many companies as time passes. This is because they are the primary priority of decision-making in meetings.

Conclusion

The top GPMs know where business, design, data, and technology intersect and operate there. 

You’ll be dealing with many people at any given moment as a Group Product Manager. Project management and interpersonal skills are crucial. But when you first start, you don’t have to be an expert in everything. These skills must and will slowly inculcate.