Product Management is a fast-paced, organizational function deeply rooted in the process of building and improving products to ensure their success in the market upon launch.
Businesses are starting to realize that in order to achieve favorable outcomes, their products must rise above competition and customer expectations. In order to do this, companies seek expert product managers to help bridge the gap between potential products and consumer needs.
A product manager oversees the development of a product from beginning to end and guarantees its success in the market upon launch.
Product managers are responsible for a number of tasks ranging from:
The end goal of every product manager is to provide positive business outcomes while ensuring that all user needs are met.
In short, product managers are responsible for turning ideas for a successful product into reality by understanding customers’ needs, strategizing on its development, and working with teams to ensure successful delivery of the product.
Product managers must often deal with a heavy workload and manage a team of people, while maintaining harmony across all functions during the development process.
Because of this, product managers should possess high emotional intelligence, good analytical and problem-solving skills, and effective leadership qualities.
This gives them the ability to:
Duration: The course can be completed within 6 weeks.
Institution: EntryLevel
Key Topics:
Pros:
Cons:
EntryLevel’s Product Management course is a beginner-friendly and hands-on program that is designed to teach students the foundations of Product Management and equip them with the skills necessary to build successful products and excel in the field.
The program dives into the fundamentals of Product Management and its processes, discusses the product lifecycle, and introduces tools and frameworks for conducting research and market analysis. It also involves hands-on experience of conducting user interviews, using Minimal Viable Prototypes in solving customers’ problems, transforming research into product features, and applying prioritization and estimation with the use of different methods.
Participants gain the opportunity to collaborate with peers, build a portfolio to showcase their newfound skills, and receive a certificate upon completion.
.png)
Duration: The duration of the course is only 4 hours and 2 minutes in total.
Institution: Udemy
Key Topics:
Pros:
Cons:
Udemy’s Product Management course is designed to help beginners master the key concepts in Product Management and equip them with the necessary tools to succeed in the role. This comprehensive training program offers the opportunity to discuss with successful Product Managers and watch real-world examples taking place.
Once enrolled, participants gain lifetime access to learning materials such as videos and articles. They will also receive a certificate upon completion of the course.
.png)
Duration: Participants will dedicate 10 hours a week and complete the course within one month.
Key Topics:
Pros:
Cons:
The Real-World Product Management Specialization course is a beginner-friendly program offered by Advancing Women in Tech (AWIT) - available through Coursera. Led by Product Management experts, this course is designed to introduce participants to the field, equip them with technical, design, and leadership skills applicable in real-world situations, and train them in preparation for interviews.
The program is a four-course series: each part covers various topics which focus on user needs and competitive analyses, product vision and road mapping, A/B test design, practical application, and interview preparation.
Participants of this course can gain up to 6 college credits as they learn top product management skills from over a dozen Product Management leaders from Amazon, Google, and more.
.png)
Duration: 4 weeks
Institution: Reforge
Key Topics:
Pros:
Cons:
Specifically designed for directors and current heads of Product, the focus of this Product Strategy course is on training current product managers to hone their execution and strategy skills as they work towards becoming better product leaders.
This program will guide professionals on how to effectively apply frameworks in order to build, communicate and execute a cohesive product strategy.
.png)
Duration: The course can be completed in 6 weeks, with a time commitment of 6 hours per week.
Institution: RMIT Online
Key Topics:
Pros:
Cons:
This is an advanced course specifically designed for current product managers and strategic leaders looking to develop their knowledge and skills.
The program teaches participants how to launch products and optimize the product value chain as they dive into various aspects such as product innovation, lifecycle management, data analysis and commercial acumen.
Through this course, participants will have the opportunity to build effective business and product strategies to apply to their own products as part of their final project.
Product management is a vital function that helps businesses rise above and gain a competitive advantage against growing competition and customer expectation. This process involves lots of strategic planning in order to effectively build and enhance products which will thrive in the market.
The success of a product relies on a Product Manager’s ability to empathize with consumers and their needs, provide them with tangible solutions by turning product ideas into reality, ensure smooth collaboration across all functions and guide the team as they navigate challenges throughout the entire process.
Plenty of courses from leading institutions are now readily available online for those looking to break into the role or enhance their skills in order to excel in the field of product management.
.webp)
