By analyzing the success stories of major companies such as Tencent, this article will provide product managers with practical growth guides to help them achieve a triple jump from “drawing prototypes” to becoming strategic planners in their careers.
In the field of product managers, which is full of challenges and opportunities, everyone has a dream of improving themselves and constantly improving. Today, let’s talk about the things behind the upgrade of the rank system of large factories, especially high-level product managers like Tencent’s level 12 PMs, who have gone all the way from the basic “drawing prototype” to having CEO thinking.
The growth dilemma of product managers under the rank system of large factories
In the rank system of large factories, product managers are like climbers, and each level has different challenges. Many junior product managers are often limited to the basic work of “drawing prototypes”, like spinning in a small circle. They spend a lot of time and energy designing the functional interface of the product, but ignore the broader business logic and overall strategy behind the product.
For example, there was once a young product manager Xiao Li, who was responsible for the partial functional design of a social product in a large factory. He immersed himself in drawing prototypes every day, designing the interface very exquisitely and very rich in functions. However, when he submitted the design plan for review, he was questioned by his superiors. The superior asked him: “What is the commercial value of this function?” How does it help with the strategic layout of the entire product? Xiao Li was stunned, he had never thought about these problems, he just felt that it was enough to do a good job. This is the dilemma faced by many junior product managers, who lack big picture thinking and business insight, only see the part of the product and ignore the overall picture.
What does a product manager need to do?
In the process of a product from scratch, it is not easy to do a good job in the role of product manager, in addition to the well-known writing requirements, writing requirements, writing requirements, there are many things to do. The product manager is not what you think, but will only ask you for trouble, make a request:
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According to relevant statistics, about 60% of junior product managers in large factories will encounter bottlenecks in the promotion process due to a lack of global thinking and business insight. They tend to wander in lower ranks and find it difficult to cross to higher levels. This is like a ship sailing in the sea, if the captain only stares at the channel in front of him, without considering the situation and destination of the entire ocean, then the ship is likely to lose its way.
From “drawing prototypes” to having a leap of global thinking
To move from the initial stage of “drawing prototypes” to the advanced stage of thinking big-picture, product managers need to learn to look at the product from a holistic perspective. Just like a good commander, he must know the situation on the battlefield well in order to formulate the right strategy.
Taking Tencent’s WeChat as an example, WeChat has developed from a simple instant messaging tool to a super APP that integrates various functions such as social networking, payment, entertainment, and life services, which is inseparable from the overall thinking of Tencent’s product team. In the development process of WeChat, the product team not only focuses on the design of a certain function, but also plans from the height of the entire social ecosystem. They take into account the needs of users in different scenarios and continue to expand the functional boundaries of WeChat. For example, the launch of the WeChat payment function is not only to add a means of payment, but to closely integrate WeChat with finance, business and other fields to build a huge business ecosystem.
Product managers should learn to pay attention to market dynamics and industry trends. Just like in the stock market, investors need to always pay attention to the macroeconomic situation and industry developments in order to make the right investment decisions. Product managers also need to understand market demand changes, competitor trends, and technology trends. For example, with the development of artificial intelligence technology, many products have begun to introduce functions such as intelligent customer service and intelligent recommendation. If product managers can keep an eye on this trend and apply it to their own products, they can make their products more competitive.
Cultivation of business insight ability
Having business insights is key for product managers to advance to the advanced level. Business insight is like a pair of “discerning eyes” that allow product managers to see the business value and profit model behind the product.
Let’s take a look at the example of Didi Chuxing. Didi Chuxing has been able to achieve great success in the field of travel not only because it provides convenient taxi services, but more importantly, it has keen business insight. Didi Chuxing’s product team saw the pain points in the traditional taxi industry, such as the difficulty of taking a taxi and opaque information, so it created an efficient travel platform through Internet technology. At the same time, they are also constantly exploring new profit models, such as launching different types of services such as ride-hailing and special cars, and cooperating with merchants to carry out marketing activities. Through these business means, Didi Chuxing has maximized its commercial value.
Product managers can cultivate their business insight skills by learning business knowledge and analyzing business cases. For example, learn about marketing, financial management, strategic planning, etc., and understand the profit models and business laws of different industries. At the same time, analyze some successful and failed business cases and learn lessons from them. For example, analyze the rise and fall of the bicycle sharing industry and understand its problems in terms of business model, market competition, operation management, etc., so that similar mistakes can be avoided in their own product design.
A triple jump towards CEO thinking
From having the ability to think big picture and business insight to having a CEO mindset, this is the last jump of product manager growth. CEO thinking means thinking from the perspective of corporate strategy, considering the long-term development of products and the overall interests of the enterprise.
Take Apple as an example, Jobs, as the founder of Apple, has excellent CEO thinking. He not only focuses on the functionality and design of the product, but also pays more attention to the brand image and user experience of the product. He positions Apple products as representatives of high-end, fashion and innovation, and creates high added value of the Apple brand through unique design and high-quality service. At the same time, Jobs also pays attention to the long-term strategic planning of the enterprise, and he continues to promote Apple’s innovation in technology research and development, market expansion, etc., making Apple one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Product managers learn to communicate and collaborate with different departments. In enterprises, the success of a product depends not only on the efforts of product managers, but also on the collaboration of multiple departments such as marketing, sales, R&D, and operations. Product managers should be like a “bridge”, connecting various departments to form an organic whole. For example, in the product promotion stage, the product manager should communicate with the marketing department to formulate appropriate marketing strategies; In the product research and development stage, it is necessary to collaborate with the R&D department to ensure the function and quality of the product.
Product managers with CEO mindset must also have risk awareness and decision-making ability. In the process of enterprise development, it will face various risks and challenges, such as market competition, technological changes, policies and regulations, etc. Product managers need to be able to identify these risks in a timely manner and make the right decisions. For example, when a new competitor appears in the market, product managers should analyze the strengths and weaknesses of competitors and formulate corresponding competitive strategies.
Dear friends, in the rank system of large factories, from “drawing a prototype” to having CEO thinking is not achieved overnight, it requires us to continue to learn, practice and reflect. By developing a big picture, improving business insights, and having a CEO mindset, we are like opening a door to a senior product manager. I hope everyone can continue to move forward on the road of product manager and realize their career dreams. Let’s work together to become a better product person!
That’s all for today’s sharing, if you have any other questions about the learning and growth of product managers, please feel free to communicate and discuss with me. See you next time!
