Njeri Grevious on Navigating the Nuances of a Career in Product Management

Are you ready to launch and grow a career in product management? Great! Njeri Grevious most likely has the answers to your questions. Product management is a very nuanced career route in tech. The reason being is that there is an array of product management roles that a person can pursue; not just one. Njeri breaks this down for us.

But first, let’s get to know a little bit more about her. 

Njeri is an engineer turned product manager. She currently works at Microsoft as a Senior Product Manager responsible for innovations such as Microsoft Search where she leads the public Search API product and the Search Extensibility developer experience. Prior to her work at Microsoft, Njeri worked in the Fintech space at Goldman Sachs. 

Now, let’s get into it. Njeri maps out four necessary steps to land a role in product management that will fulfill you. These steps entail the following:

• Determine what industry you want to work in as a product manager.
• Understand the function that you want to work in.
• Choose the type of product you want to work on.
• Get clarity on the types of users (and/or customers) that you want to solve problems for.

How did she come to this realization?

“When I first got into product management, I didn't truly know what product management was. I kind of fell into it and that's what a lot of PM’s end up doing. They kind of fall into product management. They're already doing the work. They already have a product area of focus and developers that they work with to solve for customer needs. However, they didn't know that there's a name for the specific types of product work that they are doing.”

Here are two examples of how to answer this for yourself using Njeri’s career trajectory:

‍Case 1

• Njeri is currently a product manager at Microsoft, a tech company.
• Njeri is a platform product manager.
• Njeri works with data as a service (DAAS) products, specifically with Search API’s. 
• Njeri customers are the developer community.

Case 2

• Njeri worked as a product manager at Goldman Sachs, a finance company.
• Njeri was a platform product manager.
• Njeri’s product was client data.
• Njeri’s customers were internal stakeholders.

Now that you have seen Njeri put her own advice into action. It’s your turn. 

Determine What Industry You Want to Work in As a Product Manager.

While product management is a role specifically for solving problems with technology, it does not mean that you need to work for a tech company. Every single company in the world should have some sort of tech arm. If they don’t, you probably shouldn’t be working there. Companies may be using tech for the following:

• Improving operations and internal workflows
• Website/mobile application development and management for their target audience
• Data analytics
• E-commerce and supply chain management

The industries using the above type of tech include, but are not limited to: finance, healthcare, construction, consumer goods, beauty, retail, education, agriculture, real estate, and entertainment. See an industry that you like, find a product management role at a company in that industry.

Understand The Function (Type of Product Space) That You Want to Work With.

There are various types of product management roles. These include, but are not limited to the following:

• Marketing Product Manager (Marketing PM):
  • Focus: The Marketing PM specializes in understanding market needs and ensuring that the product meets these needs through its features and marketing strategies. This role involves a lot of market research, customer interaction, and collaboration with marketing teams to position the product effectively.
  • Key Responsibilities: Developing marketing strategies, defining product positioning, conducting competitor analysis, and working closely with advertising teams to promote the product.
• Operational Product Manager (Operational PM):
  • Focus: This role focuses on optimizing and improving the internal processes that support the product's lifecycle. The Operational PM ensures that every operational facet is aligned to support the product efficiently, from production to distribution.
  • Key Responsibilities: Streamlining operations, managing supply chain issues, ensuring product compliance with regulations, and improving overall operational efficiencies.
• Technical Product Manager (Technical PM):
  • Focus: A Technical PM has a strong background in engineering or software development and works closely with the engineering team to build the product. This role requires a deep understanding of the technology behind the product to make informed decisions and guide the technical direction.
  • Key Responsibilities: Defining technical requirements, prioritizing engineering efforts, bridging the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders, and ensuring that the product meets technical standards.
• Data Product Manager (Data PM):
  • Focus: The Data PM handles products that are specifically data-focused or heavily reliant on data analytics. This role involves understanding how to extract value from data and using insights to influence product strategies.
  • Key Responsibilities: Developing data models, overseeing data collection policies, working with data scientists and analysts, and ensuring the product leverages data effectively for competitive advantage.
• Platform Product Manager (Platform PM):
  • Focus: This PM is responsible for products that serve as platforms for other services or applications. The role involves understanding the ecosystem in which the platform operates and ensuring it provides robust functionality for third-party developers or other business units.
  • Key Responsibilities: Enhancing platform capabilities, managing API integrations, ensuring platform scalability, and maintaining a developer-friendly environment.
• Growth Product Manager:
  • Focus: This role is centered on driving user acquisition, retention, and expansion. Growth PMs often use a mix of marketing, data analysis, and product development strategies to increase the product’s market share and revenue.
  • Key Responsibilities: Experimenting with growth hacks, optimizing conversion funnels, performing A/B tests, and analyzing user data to identify growth opportunities.
• User Experience Product Manager (UX PM):
  • Focus: The UX PM focuses on the design and usability aspects of a product. They work closely with UX designers to ensure that the product is not only functional but also offers a seamless and engaging user experience.
  • Key Responsibilities: Conducting user research, defining user personas, mapping customer journeys, and collaborating on design decisions to enhance user satisfaction and usability.
• Strategy Product Manager:
  • Focus: This role involves long-term planning and the strategic direction of the product. Strategy PMs focus on market trends, business opportunities, and competitive analysis to shape the future roadmap of the product.
  • Key Responsibilities: Strategic planning, market analysis, defining long-term goals, and ensuring the product aligns with the overall business strategy.

The list goes on……

Choose The Type of Product You Want to Work On.

There are so many types of products that you can work on as a product manager. These include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Software as a Service (SaaS): SaaS products are cloud-based applications that users can access via the internet, usually on a subscription basis. Examples include customer relationship management (CRM) tools, business analytics platforms, and personal productivity applications. The product manager's role involves continuous improvement, customer feedback integration, and ensuring high availability and security.
• Data as a Service (DaaS): DaaS involves providing data on-demand to users, regardless of geographic or organizational separation from the provider. This type of service is used for businesses that need real-time data or large datasets for analysis without the need for infrastructure investment. Product managers in this space focus on data quality, accessibility, and compliance with data protection regulations.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): PaaS provides a cloud platform allowing customers to develop, run, and manage applications without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure typically associated with developing and launching an app. Product managers ensure the platform supports various development frameworks and meets developers' needs for scalability and integration.
• Consumer Electronics: This includes devices intended for everyday consumer use, such as smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and home automation products. Product managers here deal with hardware and software development, consumer trends, product lifecycle management, and user experience.
• Health Tech Products: These products range from wearable health monitors to sophisticated diagnostic tools and telemedicine platforms. The focus is on improving patient care, enhancing accessibility to medical services, and integrating with existing healthcare systems.
• E-commerce Platforms: These platforms facilitate online sales and transactions. They range from small business solutions to large-scale enterprise systems that support complex supply chains and global sales. Product managers in this area work on optimizing user experience, security features, payment processing, and logistics integration.
• Educational Technology (EdTech): EdTech products include learning management systems (LMS), online courses, virtual classrooms, and tools for both students and educators. Product managers need to focus on user engagement, educational outcomes, and integrating educational content effectively.
• Internet of Things (IoT) Products: Products that are part of this category include connected devices that communicate and interact over the internet, often autonomously. Examples range from smart home devices like thermostats and security cameras to industrial IoT devices that monitor and optimize manufacturing processes.
• Financial Technology Products: These include a wide range of financial services products such as mobile payment systems, investment and savings apps, insurance tech products, and more sophisticated tools for personal or corporate finance management. Product managers need to understand both the technological aspects and the stringent regulatory environment of the financial sector.

Get Clarity on the Types of Users (And/or Customers) That You Want to Solve Problems For.

This might be the best step. To be honest, we are all passionate about serving a particular demographic of people. Product allows for you to solve problems for communities and groups you care about. These users (and/or customers) can include: 

• Patients: Health tech products can significantly enhance patient care and experience. For example, telemedicine platforms enable patients to consult with doctors remotely, reducing the need for travel and providing access to healthcare for those in remote areas. Wearable devices can monitor vital signs in real-time, providing patients and their healthcare providers with critical data to manage chronic conditions effectively.
• Healthcare Providers: For healthcare providers, technology can streamline numerous administrative and clinical processes. Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems allow for better data management, improving the accuracy of patient records and facilitating easier information sharing among healthcare professionals. Additionally, AI-driven diagnostic tools can help providers make faster and more accurate diagnoses, improving patient outcomes.
• Developers: Platform as a Service (PaaS) products provide developers with environments where they can build, test, and deploy applications without worrying about underlying infrastructure. These platforms can speed up development times, reduce costs, and allow developers to focus on creating innovative software solutions.
• Recruiters: Recruiters can utilize Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to streamline the hiring process. These systems help in organizing applications, filtering candidates based on qualifications, and managing communication with candidates. AI tools can also analyze resumes and match candidates to jobs, improving the efficiency of the recruitment process and helping find the best match for job openings.
• Educators: Educational technology products, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), provide educators with tools to create, distribute, and manage educational content digitally. These platforms can facilitate remote learning, allow for real-time feedback and assessments, and enable personalized learning paths for students, accommodating different learning speeds and styles.

You no longer have to work a product job that drains you rather than fulfills you. Follow these four steps, and you will find yourself directly working in spaces that align with your passions. 

Interested in connecting with Njeri? You can find her on Linkedin.