Following are questions that I have to ask myself and others in the profession, to determine if and how I may want to get into this profession.

1. How to get my feet wet in product management, architecture, management? Will this assist me to see if its something I would like?
2. Is it what I want to do for an extended period of time / is it sustainable professionally for me?
3. How to break-into IT product and business development job arenas?
4. How can I learn more about it? Possibly through my ongoing masters degree.
5. Why does the word ‘marketing’ scare me? Yet thinking of adaptive solutions for how I would determine what a software product needs , in order to propel customers, does not.
6. Is it customary / advised to work up through ranks of developer, then project manager, then product manager? Anyway to short-circuit that to get to the goal profession faster?

Links that Brandon gave me:

• If you are interested in learning more about Product Management, you may want to check out:
  • http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/resources
• Also, if you ever get the opportunity, I would recommend taking their seminar:
  • http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/seminars/practical-product-management
• This is a good ebook as well:
  • http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/strategic-role-of-product-management/Strategic_Role_Product_Management.pdf

Following are some job listings/descriptions that I have seen.

Job Description

Position Summary

The Blackboard Technical Product Manager is an internal ‘advocate for the market’. With a solid understanding of the market and clients, s/he fosters a variety of channels to gain market insight, define market requirements and work cross-departmentally to drive future product versions in support of the business strategy. This role will be primarily be focused on the technical client initiatives for Blackboard Learn, but will also include responsibilities for other product areas as needed. To succeed, this role will have to ensure the broader client community is actively engaged in a way that effectively promotes the growth of the product.

Key Responsibilities

• Be the champion for our community of Blackboard developers within Blackboard Product Development
• Own and develop Market Requirements Documents for your product area
• Understand the market problems fully so that the solution defined fits the need of the addressable market
• Gather and analyze data from multiple internal channels including product strategy, product marketing, sales and support
• Assist through the development cycle by reviewing and guiding product design specifications, user interface specifications test plans
• Have a strong client focus, identifying requirements to solve their business problems through a variety of techniques including face to face interviews, surveys and client advisory boards, and reviewing client enhancement requests.
• Actively engage and build relationships with the Blackboard developers community through client visits, user group meetings, and industry conferences.
• Oversee and execute programs designed to engage Blackboard developers throughout all aspects of the development lifecycle to ensure our new product releases meet or exceed client expectations
• Promote a consistent and positive interaction between Blackboard Product Development and the developer community
• Work with other Blackboard departments to ensure operational readiness
• Stay abreast of the product management industry with a constant focus on better defining the role within Blackboard and enabling better ways of performing the responsibilities

Required Experience

Qualifications

• In-depth technical knowledge, preferably having some development experience
• Prior Product Management experience is highly desired
• Prior experience working directly with clients and engaging the user community is highly desired
• Prior Project Management experience is preferred
• Passion for technology and its opportunity to better enable learning opportunities for both students and teachers more effectively
• Bachelor’s degree required, Masters degree desired

Job Location Washington, DC, US.