It was early January 2024 when I shared an update on LinkedIn that I had transitioned from a Data Analytics role to a new position as a Product Manager (PM). My focus was on leading the development of parts of our customer-facing mobile application (though this year this has changed with a new product focus). It was an exciting step forward and I didn’t really know what to expect.
Now, a year later, I can share experiences from that journey. It took a while to understand what my role was but it has pushed me to grow a lot of skills quickly, from product strategy, best practices of stakeholder communication, cross-team collaboration, navigating complexities and limitations, and making good enough decisions.
But let’s start at the beginning 🙂
When I stepped into the role, I immediately felt the weight of broader responsibilities and realised that decisions I would make would have broader impact. Suddenly, I wasn’t just focused on data, building dashboards, or providing insights for others to make final decisions; I was the one responsible for making decisions.
I was working cross-functionally with teams like engineering, UX, and research—teams I had rarely interacted with before. Weekly meetings with them became essential, and I quickly realized that my ability to communicate clearly, gather and look for information and bring alignment was going to make or break my ability to fill the role well.
My main work basically revolves around bridging three core areas: business goals, user needs, and technical execution. This balancing act is what makes the role so dynamic—and yet challenging. In this post, I share what this mainly entails and what I have learned (not an exhaustive list):
Keep things moving
Most mornings, I start my day by asking myself one key question: “What do I need to communicate or facilitate today to ensure no one is blocked by me”, a trick I learned from our head of Product Business. Whether it’s clarifying priorities, resolving roadblocks, or aligning stakeholders, my job is to keep things moving.
Prioritisation is key
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is the importance of prioritization, learning how to use Jira even more for this. Not every idea or request can make it onto the roadmap and I have had to learn to make tough decisions (a challenge for a people-pleaser personality like mine). Once it’s on the roadmap it creates expectations and commitments and it’s a constant balancing act as time, money, and people are always limited.
Breaking bigger features/products into smaller phased releases
Some solutions feel too big to start. However breaking them down into minimum viable products helps us start, gather early feedback and make adjustments before scaling to the full solution. Data collection plays a critical role here, and my background in analytics has been a huge help. Knowing how to instrument products for data collection, analyse it and interpret the results to make informed decisions.
Defining success
Defining clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is also another critical part. These metrics allow us to measure whether a feature is achieving its intended goals. For example, when we launched a new AI-powered feature, we tracked adoption rates, usage, user satisfaction, and churn. This data not only validates our efforts but also informs future iterations
Understanding user needs
In this role I have come to appreciate the work of user research and customer journey mapping in creating good products. Learned new tools like Lean Labs, Lyssna, and TheyDo. These tools have helped me and my team uncover pain points and opportunities. I’ve also worked with our customer support team to understand direct feedback. Hearing real stories from users—both the good and the bad—has been invaluable.
Finding differentiators in the market
Staying competitive is critical. The role also requires researching competitors’ offerings and brainstorming ways to differentiate our product. This often means thinking creatively—what features will truly delight users? How can we address needs that others have overlooked?
Listening and communication are at the core of everything I do
Listening to users helps me understand their needs, listening to leadership ensures I align with the company’s vision, and listening to the team allows me to spot issues early and keep things running smoothly. On the flip side, communication is how I bring all these pieces together and has to be done with clarity. To manage this, I had to develop structured communication strategies—weekly updates, monthly check-ins, and always ensuring a clear agenda.
In summary, as I reflect on my journey so far, I’ve learned that this role is a mix of art and science. It requires strategic thinking, creativity, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. It’s not easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding – it has expanded my network significantly, my tech toolset, and business strategy.
I did wonder if AI will take over roles like Product Management? While AI capabilities are continuously increasing and I use some form of AI on a daily basis, it still has a long way to go to carry out the various nuanced daily decision-making tasks required in product management, but definitely is a great assistant for specific tasks.
For anyone considering a transition into product management, my advice is simple: embrace the challenge (it can take a while to find your feet), be curious, and always focus on delivering value.
As for me, I’m excited to see where this journey takes me next.
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