Fundamentals are the key / overarching elements of how to manage products. I have copied the ones I came up with as a simple starting point, with the intention of them changing and growing as we go.

1. Understand the Problem

Before anything else, a PdM needs to understand (read: have the best / most firm grasp on) the problem the product is trying to solve. This is the absolute basic, most relevant path to being a successful product manager. If you can’t define the problem concisely, you are already dead before you even start. If your problem is too broad / cloudy, you’re done for.

Make it clear. Make it real. Make it concise.

2. Know Who It’s For

Secondly, you have to know who has this problem. Again, if you can’t define that (at least in some broad terms to start) you’re failing before you even start. Recognizing there is a problem is the first thing, but you need to know who has the problem (and why the do) before you can start to solve it. Take this out of products for a second. Think of it like a doctor. If you’re McDreamy on Gray’s Anatomy, would you go in to operate on a patient’s brain without knowing a) what problem they were experiencing and b) who the patient was, their history, etc? Maybe McDreamy could because he’s just that good, but trust me - no other doctor in the World would probably do this.

Diagnose the problem, understand who has it (and why) and proceed.

3. Ascertain Appropriateness or Health

Once you have determined what it is you are trying to solve and for whom, it’s time to either a) ascertain if your product in it’s current state (TODAY, i.e., it’s “health”) can get the job done. Or, conversely, determine if there is an appropriate problem and market for a new product to be released in to the wild.

4. Develop a Clear Picture of the Future

Some people claim this is lame. It could be called a roadmap and backlog or something else entirely. But frankly, you need to write down for the rest of the class how you plan on solving the problem right now, next week, next quarter, and maybe next year. Don’t get carried away - remember to make it real - but you need to write it down.

Some people won’t get it. Some people will complain. It’s your job to figure this out and validate it as much as you can. Maybe you can’t. Maybe what you are doing is brand new. Gather feedback where you can and push.

5. Execute in Concert

Now the fun. Of course, you need to actually ensure everything happens with all cross-functional teams. Dev, mktg, sales, support, ops, manufacturing, PR, etc… Plan out the appropriate steps to make sure a) the product is built and b) it gets to the people for which it’s solving the problem. If these things don’t happen you will end-up with vapor (people believing a problem they have will be solved, but in reality nothing exists to solve it) or a product that you believe solves a problem for people, but no one actually knows about it. No one can talk about it in terms that folks understand (um, hello - positioning), or no one can buy it (um, hello - sales and sales training).

Get it done and get it in their hands. Remember, you know they want it. Or you should. See how all this kinda works together?

6. Shepherd and Adapt Based on Feedback

On to maintenance and lifecycle management. Now you have the base - the foundation - of solving a problem for a group of people or businesses and they have bought in. Now what? Do you move on to the next thing? Hell no - get out there and figure out how to make this thing really sing!

Figure out what’s not working, what is working, what the users like, what they don’t like. Then, make it even better. Keep pushing. Keep improving. I don’t like to use the terms “innovate” or “wow factor” or “silver bullet.” If they happen, great - but whatever. You can’t bet on these things. You HAVE to bet on building a real product for a real problem for real people / organizations. Just rinse, lather, wash, repeat. Push, push, push — figure out what really sucks. Have marketing figure out what really works and exploit it.

Chances are, there is something within your product that you never even thought people used / would use it for, but they do. Maybe it starts shaping in to something different that solves a different problem - this is evolution. That’s what managing a product through a lifecycle until end of life is all about, folks. But at the end of the day, you gotta get this thing in front of people and learn what they hate / how they use it to really make that happen.

This doesn’t happen in labs or behind one-way mirrors. This happens in office cubicles, at the dinner table, in front of the home computer, at an airport - everywhere.