What is a product manager? Well, that answer is a bit harder to answer than it might seem. A product manager’s day-to-day responsibilities will differ based on a multitude of factors (such as company size). I see a product manager as the guiding glue of the team, who take charge of bringing together the user and all the teams working on the product. The product manager fills in the gaps in the team as needed, and guides the team to produce a successful product. Though the product manager doesn’t create the product themself, they still oversee the product being made and is ultimately responsible for the outcome of the product.
In chapter 1 of Product Management in Practice, LeMay states that the product manager role cannot be defined, but instead described. However, the “description” he provides right after seems like a definition. So, I would ask LeMay what he thinks is the difference between the two. Also, I would ask why can’t we use the “descriptions” he provides to make a generalized definition. There are many things that are defined, yet vary slightly with each specific thing.
