What is a Product Manager?

A Product Manager is the person who identifies the customer need and the larger business objectives that a product or feature will fulfil. Being the person who articulates what success looks like for that product, they rally a team to turn that vision into reality. There is still a certain degree of confusion around the role of a product manager because the role is relatively recent, and some Product Managers are still defining what the role should be. Martin Eriksson, product leader and founder of ProductTank, summed up project management in a  that puts the Product Manager at the intersection of business, technology, and user experience.

What does a Product Manager do?

In his book Inspired, Marty Cagan describes the job of Product Manager as “to discover a product that is valuable, usable and feasible,” and Martin Eriksson places the role at the intersection point between the functions business, technology, and user experience. The role of a Product Manager is broad and varied, and it starts with setting a vision for the product, which requires research of the market, the customer, and the problem they have and are trying to solve.

The Product Manager will need to assimilate vast amounts of information, feedback from clients, quantitative data from analytics, research reports, market trends and statistics and mix all that information with a healthy dose of creativity to define a vision for the product. The vision must then be communicated with energy and passion to every team member, from sales to developer, and then an actionable plan will be made to implement that vision. On a daily basis, Product Managers basically work with product leadership and company leadership to identify market problems worth solving and lead the group that will solve them.

What skills should a Product Manager have?

The skills a Product Manager should have are related to the three key areas of product management: Business, Technology and User Experience. Product Management is first and foremost a business function, focused on maximizing business value from a product. Product Managers need to be obsessed with optimizing a product to achieve the business goals while maximizing return on investment.

Product Managers also need a good understanding of the technology stack to understand the product building process and the level of effort involved. In this role, you will spend a lot of time with the development team, so you need to understand their work thoroughly.

The Product Manager is the voice of the user inside the business and must be passionate about the user experience. This means testing the product, talking to users and getting first-hand feedback. For this, communication skills are essential.

How to become a Product Manager

If you really want to become a Product Manager, the best thing to do is secure yourself a good foundation. The right education can set you on a path to use your creative talents in a business context so that you are equipped to navigate this highly competitive industry successfully. Combined with your own personal talent, an education from a highly respected institute, taught by experienced professionals, can truly offer you a competitive edge.

Istituto Marangoni, Dubai.

In September 2022, International Design School Istituto Marangoni inaugurated its new campus in Dubai. A creative melting pot of Italian heritage, UAE tradition, and international influences, its campus is located inside the Dubai International Financial Centre, and offers a variety of undergraduate and professional courses in Fashion, and the various branches of design. All the courses are taught by the Institute’s team of professionals from Italy.

The school of design at Istituto Marangoni offers an exciting opportunity to fuse Italian expertise with local talent, with a view to shaping the future of the UAE fashion, design, and creative industries. Its strategic partnerships and international outlook make  Istituto Marangoni the ideal place to develop your skills and learn from industry experts. With its unique network of international schools, Istituto Marangoni also offers enriching study abroad opportunities for students looking to broaden their horizons in every sense. We offer a wide range of courses , and whilst the link below is Product Manager specific, there are many other paths that Istituto Marangoni can help you pursue. 

• BA in Fashion Business

For information and advice about this and any other courses on offer, please feel free to get in touch and one of our experts will be happy to guide you.

How much does a Product Designer in the UAE earn?

According to data from salaryexpert.com, the average annual base salary for a Product Manager in Dubai is AED 267,825, with an entry salary of AED 191,670, and a senior salary of AED 332,684. These figures are 3% higher than the rest of UAE. Based on forecasting, the estimated annual salary for a Product Manager in Dubai in 2028 is AED 322,108.