Overview of Product Management
Product management professionals are one of the most influential and highest paid functions in an organization today. Product managers that drive product vision and business growth are essential for keeping up with evolving market dynamics — such as the explosive growth of artificial intelligence — and for delighting customers at every opportunity.
Effective product managers are essential not only for deeply understanding customer needs but also for driving innovation and leading cross-functional teams toward shared goals. Without strong, strategic leadership in product management, businesses risk missing valuable opportunities to attract and retain customers.
This product management course will teach you the fundamental skills you need to be an effective product manager and build, launch, and grow successful products or digital products. You will learn how to assess customer pain points, design a compelling product vision, market products, leverage product analytics, and work effectively with your cross-functional stakeholders, including engineers, UX teams, and senior leadership.
You’ll engage in group exercises and case discussions to help you build an action plan to apply immediately to your next product for a successful result.
Course Benefits
Product Management is all about improving both soft and hard skills to produce results. This product management training will help participants:
- Discover how to empathize with customers, identify their pain points, and prioritize accordingly
- Learn how to build and communicate a compelling product vision and product roadmap
- Leverage innovative new technologies, including generative AI, to accelerate your product success
- Enhance cross-functional collaboration and leadership skills necessary for motivating teams toward product success
- Understand go-to-market strategies to accelerate customer adoption of your product at any growth stage
- Learn how to utilize KPIs (such as funnel conversion rates and marketing channel ROI) to guide the product management process and achieve product goals
Upon finishing the program, you will earn a Certificate of Completion from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education.
Who Should Enroll
This Product Management course is ideal for a range of product owners and aspiring product managers. Whether you’re looking to transition into a product management role or deepen your expertise, this program will equip you with the skills to work closely with customers, develop strategic product visions, and strengthen your analytical and leadership abilities.
This course offers new and aspiring Product Managers foundational training in the Product Manager discipline. It also offers technology entrepreneurs analytical skills to help set their company up for greater market success.
Curriculum
A wide range of topics and activities will be covered during this product management course.
The following learning objectives will be combined with interactive sessions like breakout groups and case analysis, so you get the most out of our product management program:
- Understanding your customers and identifying their needs
- Setting a product vision
- Creating goals and objectives and key results
- Leveraging new technologies, including generative AI
- Utilizing product analytics
- Building an effective product roadmap
- Taking products to market
- Identifying inbound and outbound product marketing strategies
- Developing and testing product design deliverables
- Working with cross-functional stakeholders
Considering this program?
September Schedule
Week 1
- Customer discovery
Week 2
- Effective product roadmaps
Week 3
- Inbound and outbound product marketing strategies
Week 4
- Working with cross-functional stakeholders
March Schedule
Day 1
- What is product management and why does it matter
- How product managers uncover customer needs and define problems
Day 2
- Designing and testing solutions: From ideas to validation
- Product strategy and team engagement that drive impact
Instructor
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![Swarna Kakodkar.]()
Swarna Kakodkar
Swarna Kakodkar is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience leading teams to deliver innovative and impactful software products. She currently leads a product management team at Google. Swarna earned her undergraduate degree from Harvard University and her MBA from Harvard Business School.
Instructor
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Bill Pacheco
Bill Pacheco is an innovation leader and educator with over 30 years of experience in design thinking, product management, and engineering. He has led teams at Keurig Dr. Pepper and Cybex International and served as an instructor and coach at Stanford’s d.school, Boston University, and Trinity College. As CEO of Open Until 8, LLC, Bill helps organizations accelerate innovation and deliver impactful solutions.
FAQs
What is product management and why is it important to learn this skill?
Product Management is an organizational function that guides each step of a product’s life cycle from start to finish. Product management focuses on the product itself and its customers and are experts in liaising between their organization and market needs.
Product Management is key to designing better products and achieving higher performance.
How will this product management course help me advance in my career?
This Product Management course offers the knowledge you need to work closely with customers, collaborate across multiple stakeholders, and understand market strategies.
Becoming a more skilled Product Manager will increase your efficiency and insight in the field and make you a more attractive candidate for future career opportunities.
What skills or experience is needed before learning product management?
This Product Management course is recommended for professionals with less than 2 years of Product Management experience, those looking to transition into a Product Management job, or for those who are already product owners or entrepreneurs.
