Describe your day-to-day activities as a Product Manager | Behavioral

How would you explain your Product Management lifecycle from ideation to execution to the Hiring Manager?

May 20, 2021

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As a product manager, your day-to-day tasks can include everything from strategic planning to go-to-market launches. This means that you are responsible for managing all aspects of building, shipping, and maintaining the product. This can be a challenging and dynamic role, which is what makes it so exciting.

Different companies and product types may have different expectations for product managers, so the specific tasks that you are responsible for may vary. However, what remains consistent across all product management roles is that you are working at the intersection of business, engineering, and design. This means that you need to have a strong understanding of each of these areas in order to be successful in your role.

In terms of strategic planning, you may be responsible for identifying market opportunities and defining the product vision and strategy. This could include conducting market research, analyzing customer needs, and creating roadmaps to guide product development. You may also be responsible for working with other teams, such as engineering and design, to ensure that the product aligns with the overall company strategy.

When it comes to go-to-market launches, you may be responsible for overseeing the development and launch of new products. This could include coordinating with other teams, such as marketing and sales, to ensure that the product is marketed effectively and that sales teams are properly trained. You may also be responsible for tracking product performance and making adjustments as needed to ensure that the product is meeting its goals.

Finally, as a product manager, you are responsible for maintaining the product after it has been launched. This could include working with engineering and design teams to implement updates and bug fixes, as well as working with customer support teams to address any issues that arise. Additionally, you may need to track product performance and make decisions about when to discontinue or update the product.

Overall, being a product manager is a challenging and dynamic role that requires a strong understanding of business, engineering, and design. Whether you are working on strategic planning or go-to-market launches, your ultimate goal is to create and maintain successful products that meet the needs of your customers.

To help you with your Product Manager interview preparations, we have compiled a complete list of the most asked Product Management Interview Questions and Answers at companies like Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, etc. answered by PMs at FAANG.

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A Sample Answer would look something like this -

Since I work on multiple products and work with different stakeholders located in different time zone, the day spent differs, to cover how my day looks like I will categorize things I do under different phases - Product Discovery & Research, Product Planning, Product Execution, and Post-Launch Phase.

Product Discovery & Research Phase:

The Product Discovery & Research phase is a crucial step in the product development process as it helps to identify and validate potential product opportunities. In this phase, my day typically includes the following tasks:

Requirement Gathering: I spend time meeting with different stakeholders such as sales, marketing, and customer support teams to understand their requirements and gather insights about the current product. This helps me identify areas where the product can be improved or new features that can be added.
User Research: I conduct user research by talking to customers to understand the pain points they are facing. This can include conducting surveys, user interviews, and usability testing sessions. This helps me confirm and validate hypotheses about the product's potential and identify areas for improvement.
Monitor Product Metrics: I spend time checking product dashboards and data to find the next product opportunity or confirm any existing hypotheses. This can include analyzing metrics such as user engagement, conversion rates, and customer feedback.
Market Research: I conduct market research to understand what other players in the industry are working on. This helps me stay aware of new trends and emerging technologies and ensure that our product stays competitive.
Talking to Support Team: I communicate with the support team to understand the recent issues that customers are reporting. This helps me identify areas where the product may be lacking and improve the customer experience.
Going through Play Store Reviews: I review customer feedback on the App Store or Google Play Store to understand the reason for high uninstalls or low customer ratings. This helps me identify areas where the product may be lacking and improve the customer experience.

Overall, the Product Discovery & Research phase requires a lot of research, analysis, and communication skills. It's an important step in the product development process as it helps to identify and validate potential product opportunities, and it sets the foundation for the next phase of product development.

Product Planning Phase:

In the Product Planning phase, the primary focus is to plan, manage, and prioritize backlog items to groom them for the sprint/iterations. This includes reviewing customer feedback and market research data to identify areas for improvement or new opportunities for innovation. It also includes creating user personas, outlining user journeys, and creating wireframes and mockups to visualize the product.

The first step in this phase is to define the problem statement and product goals. This involves identifying the specific needs and pain points of the target customers and determining how the product will address them. This step is critical in ensuring that the product is aligned with the company's overall strategy and goals.
Once the problem statement and product goals have been defined, the next step is to define the product vision, roadmap, positioning, and pricing for new products. This includes conducting market research, analyzing the competitive landscape, and creating a clear vision of what the product should be and how it should be positioned in the market. Additionally, the pricing strategy should be developed to ensure that the product is competitive and profitable.
The next step is to brainstorm the solution(s) and do a quick whiteboard session or paper prototype (Rapid Prototyping). This allows the team to quickly come up with ideas and solutions for the product, and to quickly test and validate them.
After brainstorming solutions, the product manager works closely with the UX designer to come up with Personas, Customer Journey, Wireframes, and Designs. This collaboration with the Design Team helps in creating the visual representation of the product and the user interface design.
Writing Product Requirement Documents (PRDs) and Documentation are also a key aspect of this phase. The PRDs should clearly define the problem statement, product goals, user personas, customer journey, wireframes, and designs, as well as the solution(s) that have been proposed. This documentation is used to communicate the product vision and requirements to the development team and other stakeholders.
The product manager also needs to negotiate with stakeholders on prioritized items and timelines. This includes working with the development team, design team, marketing team, and other stakeholders to ensure that the product is being developed on time and within budget.
Additionally, the product manager also needs to negotiate and work with management to get all the required resources. This includes working with finance, HR, and other departments to ensure that the team has the necessary resources to develop the product.
Finally, the product manager conducts Sprint Planning sessions. This is where the team discusses the upcoming sprint and sets clear goals for what will be delivered in the next sprint. This session helps in keeping the team aligned and focused on delivering the product.

Execution Phase:

During the Execution Phase of product development,

I spend a significant amount of time collaborating with the development team to discuss and plan the sprint items that have been selected for development. This includes working closely with the developers to understand the technical complexities of the features and ensuring that they have a clear understanding of the requirements and user stories.
I also conduct daily standup meetings with the development team to keep track of progress and to identify any blockers that may be preventing them from making progress. These meetings are essential for keeping the team on track and for ensuring that we are meeting our deadlines.
In addition to working with the development team, I also collaborate with the QA team to ensure that the product and features are thoroughly tested before they are rolled out to the market. This includes working with the QA team to develop test plans, creating test cases, and reviewing test results.
As a product manager, I am also responsible for Go-to-Market Planning for the product or feature. This includes creating launch plans, coordinating with the engineering and design teams to ensure that the product is ready for launch, and working with the marketing and sales teams to develop promotional campaigns and marketing materials.
Finally, I collaborate with the sales, marketing, and content teams to plan the promotion of the product or feature. This includes working with the marketing team to create promotional campaigns and materials, working with the sales team to develop sales strategies, and working with the content team to create product documentation and user guides. Overall, the execution phase is all about bringing the product to life and getting it in front of customers.

Post-Launch Phase:

The Post-Launch Phase is a critical time for a product manager as it is essential to track the product's performance and gather feedback to make necessary improvements. In this phase, my day typically includes the following tasks:

Tracking product analytics - To measure the success or failure of the product, I spend time analyzing product usage data and metrics such as customer retention, engagement, and revenue. This allows me to identify areas where the product is performing well and areas that need improvement.
Collaborating with the support team to check on customer issues post-launch - After the product is launched, it's essential to ensure that customers are satisfied with it. I work closely with the customer support team to address any issues that customers may have and provide solutions to improve the product's usability.
Conducting Product Demos to Senior Management and Stakeholders - I present the product to senior management and stakeholders to showcase the product's features and capabilities. I also discuss the product's performance, customer feedback, and any issues that have arisen.
Gather feedback and prioritize them in coming iterations - I spend time gathering feedback from customers, stakeholders, and the team to understand how the product can be improved. I prioritize this feedback and work with the team to implement the necessary changes in upcoming iterations.

Overall, the post-launch phase is a vital time for a product manager as it is essential to gather feedback, analyze product performance, and make necessary improvements to ensure that the product is meeting the needs of customers and stakeholders. The role requires a lot of coordination, communication, and problem-solving skills, but it's also incredibly rewarding to see the product come to life and achieve success in the market.

Note: Depending on your job profile, company, and the product you are working on your answer may vary a bit. You are free to add or remove some points from the above answer.

The interviewer may also ask follow up question like,