The Chief Product Officer vs Product Manager, both positions are limited by the extent of their duties. That’s why each firm gives value to them.
In this section, we will check the duties of each position and what skills they show to achieve it.
Chief Product Officer vs Product Manager – Duties
Chief Product Officer
The chief product officer is the chief of a product. He/she is responsible for product development and all the marketing activities. They also represent the client during a new product launch or a product improvement.
He/she has to take new product ideas from the user perspective and translate them into practical use cases. Then, he/she has to lead cross-functional teams to turn them into products. In his/her job, he/she also covers marketing, sales, and distribution roles.
Product Manager
Product Managers are responsible for overseeing a product from its conception to its development to its distribution. They need to know what needs customers have and what is available in the market. They will also do a market analysis and market research until they understand how people will use a product and what they expect from it.
Then, they will make a plan on how users will use the product, how it will be distributed, how it will be promoted, and how it will be supported after its release. Product Managers also manage cross-functional teams that develop new products or improve existing ones.
What Skills Do You Need to Become Chief Product Officer vs Product Manager?
Chief Product Officer
1. Profound knowledge in marketing, business, and products. They should be able to translate the needs of the customer into a product that attracts them.
2. Manage and lead a team with different skills and backgrounds. They should know when to give freedom to their team and when they need to control them.
3. They need to be able to control the budget for a product and the expense that comes with it. They also need to manage time and deadlines for a product. No matter how skilled they are, if they cannot organize people and resources, the product they manage will not succeed. To do this, they need good communication, organization, and time management skills.
Product Manager
1. They should have an understanding of customer needs so that they can develop products that are useful for them.
Product Managers are also tasked with creating products that are competitive in their respective markets or industry niches or categories. So Product Managers have the skill sets needed for effective market research.
2. Because Product Managers are tasked with managing an entire product from start to finish, they should have excellent organizational skills. These include the ability to prioritize tasks, delegate tasks among various members of their team. As well as communicate effectively, retain data regarding specific projects, etc.
Because Product Managers are tasked with overseeing all aspects of a product, they need to be able to effectively manage time. This means having excellent time management skills along with strong problem-solving abilities.
Product Managers must also possess good leadership skills to effectively lead cross-functional teams. The ability to work well under pressure is necessary because they often encounter tight deadlines. The continuous nature of the job requires working well in a fast-paced environment. Also, the ability to work on multiple projects at one time.