As a SaaS professional, you’ve probably wondered, “What’s tech product management?” and how it differs from traditional product management. This guide explores technical product management and how to become a sought-after professional in this field.
Technical product management blends business sense with technical know-how to drive product development. Traditional product managers focus on understanding customer needs and market trends, while technical product managers use their deep technical knowledge to guide development, closely working with engineering and design teams.
To excel as a technical PM, you need skills like Agile methodology knowledge, familiarity with software engineering principles, leadership, and communication.
The key responsibilities of a technical product manager include:
– Conducting user and market research to understand user pain points.
– Developing the product vision and strategy.
– Creating a product roadmap to prioritize features.
– Assessing and addressing technical risks.
– Facilitating collaboration between the product owner and the engineering team.
– Continuously iterating on the product’s technical aspects.
To become a technical product manager, follow these steps:
1. Get a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field.
2. Consider industry certifications like Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) or Certified Associate in Product Management (CAPM) to upskill yourself.
3. Gain hands-on experience through junior roles in software development.
4. Build your portfolio by taking freelance product management jobs.
5. Network strategically with peers and industry experts.
6. Continuously develop through product management events, webinars, podcasts, and books.
Userpilot is a product growth platform that assists technical PMs with daily tasks. Some ways tech PMs benefit from Userpilot include:
– Creating code-free in-app surveys to collect user feedback and make data-driven decisions.
– Tracking key product metrics with analytics dashboards.
– Identifying friction points in the user experience using funnel and path analysis.
– Tagging UI elements and visualizing engagement with heatmaps to spot high and low engagement areas.
If you’d like to learn how Userpilot can elevate your SaaS, book a demo!