What does an MBA education have to do with becoming a product manager? The role of a product manager has evolved largely over the last few years. The broad term product management now has specificities attached to it. Let's explore some product manager roles, what they involve and how does the ISB MBA fit. Mr. Ashutosh Dabral, CPO, Tata CLiQ, gave the keynote talk at the ISB Product Conclave in July 2022 and shared lessons learned from his experiences as a Product Manager. The conference brought together titans from a variety of industries to engage in conversations about developing ground-breaking products for the Indian ecosystem and product innovation to meet evolving consumer needs. Other panellists included Mr. Deepak Kumar, Associate Director of Product for Disney + Hotstar, Ms. Monika Srivastava, Senior Director of mobility for Ola, and Mr. Vikas Reddy, Head of Product at Airmeet. Check out the ISB admit stories where real ISB admits share their experiences about GMAT or GRE preparation, experiences with the ISB application process, and the ISB interview process. Hiring for the Product management is approximately 12% in the functional recruitment at ISB placements 2022. ISB MBA application deadlines 2022 - 23 for round 1 applications is 4 September 2022. If you are considering a career as a Product Manager post ISB MBA get a profile evaluation with our MBA admission consultant at GOALisB. Top seven traits to identify if you are made for Product Management:
Do you want to be a mini CEO?
Do you possess a growth mindset?
Can you imagine a new future and deliver it?
Can you identify opportunities?
Are you comfortable interacting with customers?
Are you a problem solver? Are you creative and an innovator?
Do you understand the EQ parts of of your product?
What are the different kind of Product Management Roles? There are largely three categories of Product Manager roles today:
Growth Product Manager
Technical Product Manager
Core Product Manager
If you are considering to shift to a product manager role, consider the ISB application process.
What does a Product Management interview include? A product management interview is designed to delve into understanding how the candidate understands the important aspects of being a product manager. Following are 10 important aspects of a Product Management Interview:
Problem Solving: A case study is usually asked to gauge the problem solving skills of the candidate.
Questions may be asked around improving a certain existing product. This again is an aspect of problem solving but also involves the aspect whether the candidates ask the right questions.
Expect Guesstimates in a Product Manager interview.
Since Product Management is largely a post MBA role especially the Growth Product Manager role, pricing and customer behaviour problems are very commonly asked.
It is very important that Product Managers use the right and relevant metrics to analyse their products. Being able to specify the right metrics to measure the impact of any change or feature is also tested in the product manager interview.
Product manager roles post MBA are expected to delve into market entry and a go - to - market strategy. Problems based on these aspects of the role are very common.
Like every other profession, Product Managers have favourites. In depth analysis of a few products you appreciate as a candidate shows your professional inclination and motivations. Products that you like and why also show what are the driving factors in your decision making as a product manager. This is a counterintuitive question in a Product Manager interview.
Technology is a part and parcel of what a product manager does. Expect technology based questions in your product management interview.
Behavioural interviews have replaced the regular interview formats. Most companies have a behavioural interview section where past instances are reflected upon to predict the candidate's future behaviour.
Lastly, definitely expect the HR interview towards the last round.
Contact an expert at GOALisB to discuss your ISB MBA application assistance.
What are some companies which offer Product Manager roles at ISB?
Jio
Deloitte USI
Honeywell
Microsoft
Razorpay
Cisco
Flipkart
Innovacer
Amazon
Myntra
Get in touch with an MBA admission consultant at GOALisB for assistance on your ISB application.
What are the different Product Manager roles offered to MBA graduates?
Product Analyst
Product Manager
Consultant Product Manager
Senior Product Manager
Head of Product
1. Product Management Role: Product Analyst Usual Entry level: A professional with around two years of experience in a data analytics role and strong working knowledge of analytics technologies like Google Analytics, Clevertap, Adobe analytics. In addition to having great analytical skills to work as a product analyst one must posses Advanced Excel knowledge, shortcuts, lookups, pivot table, macros, and be well versed with SQL queries, R Python, SPSS, Excel at the least. 2. Product Management Role: Product Manager Usual Entry Level: 5 - 8 years of work experience depending on the organisation with atleast 1-3 years of software engineering work experience. To become a successful product manager experience with Agile and lean processes is a plus. A product manager is expected to demonstrate traits of a good leader and be efficient in stakeholder management. Great interpersonal skills are essential tools for a product manager to achieve shared goals. A great product manager must have excellent quantitative and business analysis skills along with the ability to excel in an ambiguous decision making environment. These are skills that you gain at an impactful ISB MBA program. 3. Product Management Role: Consultant Product Manager Usual Entry Level: This is a relatively more prevalent role in the International scenario than Indian. Dell Technologies internationally is currently hiring for multiple positions for this role.
Who is a consultant product manager? Someone with 5 to 8 years' experience in technical product management with a strong entrepreneurial mindset. A consultant product manager is someone who can handle product strategy, vision, implementation end to end in different client scenarios. This is a role for which a top tier MBA like the ISB MBA is almost a must. 4. Product Management Role: Senior Product Manager Usual Entry Level: Depending on the recruiting organisation the senior product manager role is offered to professionals with 3- 5 years of product management experience and overall work experience of 5 - 10 years. This is a role essentially offered to management graduates so a program like the ISB MBA is definitely helpful. Software engineering, agile development, strong domain knowledge and leadership skills are an absolute must to professionals seeking this role. 5. Role: Head of Product Usual Entry Level: This is a role for a professional who has the ability to lead the growth of the organisation through amplifying existing products to introducing new products. Knowledge of the domain, experience in software development environments, excellent business skills, team management, stakeholder management, business strategy are all key to this role. Organisations look for professionals with 8 - 15 years of product management experience to hire for this role. Top tier MBA program graduates with the potential to steer business growth are the best fit. Get in touch with an ISB admission consultant at GOALisB to chart out your plan for career growth. Who is a Product Manager?
You almost qualify for being a product manager if you are someone who is:
Entrepreneurial,
Innovator,
Collaborator,
Manager,
Have deep operations knowledge
Combined with a technical product development background
Life of a Product Manager
Speaking about a day in the life of a Product Manager, let us tell you it’s never the same as the previous one – Every single day is filled with unique challenges and progresses. Their day-to-day responsibilities encompass intense interactions with engineers, tech leads, customers, designers, legal experts, finance people, and the marketing/sales team. A Product Manager’s role displays a wide level of variance depending on the size of the company, size of the product, stage in the lifecycle of the product, and also the level of seniority. However, ultimately, the basic and crucial role of all PMs encompasses a collaborative interaction with several development teams to accomplish pre-set goals of product design, development, and customer satisfaction. What does a Product Manager do?
Undertaking core product activities such as making sound Product Requirement Documents (PRD), and contribute to the vision, ideation, and usability testing.
Colluding with the design, engineering, and cross-functional teams.
Resolving conflicts and disagreements between different teams working on a product.
Strong relationship management with the customer and customer support teams.
Working with multiple teams.
Extensive insights on industry trends, competitor intelligence, and academics.
Skills you require to become a product manager?
For most organisations you qualify to become a product manager is you have 5-10 years of experience in the specific domain.
Prior work experience as a project manager adds value to the product manager role.
Clear and strong sense of ownership and excellent communication skills are a must for being a successful product manager.
It is a role which requires you to extensively communicate your ideas and work across the organisation not only the specific department that you deal with.
The role of a product manager requires one to have a good understanding of technology.
These are closely followed by the expertise you develop through an MBA course like an ISB MBA.
How do you build the right profile for a product management career path?
There are online courses and certifications which can help you build the necessary skills like:
Upgrad - Duke Corporate Education - Product Management Certification Program
IIM Lucknow - Wiley - Product Management Certificate
IIM Bangalore Online - Creating Successful New Products
SCRUM Certification
Full time MBA Courses that can help you become a product manager in India are
Executive MBA from IIM - the one year MBA
ISB PGPpro
30 Product Management Courses that would add value in building a strong profile for product management in 2022 - 23:
1. ISB Executive Education - Product Management Programme
Location – Online
Duration of the Program – 12 weeks
Cost of the Program - INR 1,20,000 + GST
Eligibility - Any Graduate/ Diploma holder
2. Stanford School of Engineering - Product Management
Duration of the Program – 60 days access
Cost of the Program - $675.00
Dates and Deadlines - On demand
3. eCornell University - Product Management Certificate from Cornell Tech
Mode of the Program - Online
Duration of the Program - 3 months
Cost of the Program - $2,730
4. University of Maryland - Master's Degree in Product Management
Mode of the Program - Online
Duration of the Program - 15 Months
Cost of the Program - 25000
Dates and Deadlines – FALL 2022
Regular Application Deadline - July 29, 2022
Program Start Date - August 29, 2022
SPRING 2023
Priority Application Deadline - November 18, 2022
Final Application Deadline - January 31, 2023
Program Start Date - February 27, 2023
5. Carnegie Mellon University - Master of Science in Product Management
One-year, STEM-designated program
Dates and Deadlines - Round 1: June 5, 2022
Round 2: July 5, 2022
Round 3: Aug. 7, 2022
6. Northwestern University - Master of Product Design and Development Management Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²)at the Segal Design Institute, McCormick School of Engineering
7. Cranfield University - Global Product Development and Management MSc
Duration of the Program - One year full-time, two-five years part-time
Eligibility - MSc, PgDip, PgCert
8. Queen’s University School of Computing - Master of Digital Product Management
Mode of the Program - Online
Duration of the Program - 12 months
9. SKEMA Business School - MASTER OF SCIENCE Product Management & UX Design
Cost of the Program - One year 25K Euro, 2 year MSc 40K Euro
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - Requirements - Two-Year MSc:
10. University of Maryland - Master of Professional Studies in Product Management
Location - Online
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
11. New York University –MBA Tech Product Management
Location - United States
Mode of the Program – On Campus
Cost of the Program - $123,253
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): MBA
12. Masters Union School of Business - Placement Focused Product Management Bootcamp
Location - India
Mode of the Program – Live online + In Person
Duration of the Program – 16 weeks and 12 hours
Cost of the Program - INR 4,15,000 + GST
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
13. University of Birmingham - Product and Innovation Management
Location - United Kingdom
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
14. University of Texas and Dellas - Naveen Jindal School Of Management - Masters of Science in Marketing
Location – United States
Mode of the Program - Online/offline
Duration of the Program - 18 months to two years
Cost of the Program - $15,000 to $16,000
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - A competitive GMAT or GRE score, no more than five years old by date of application is required from all applicants who do not receive a test waiver.
Dates and Deadlines - Fall: May 1,
Spring: October 1 &
Summer: March 1
15. Cornell University - Masters in Product Management
Location - United States
Cost of the Program - MS Degree Programmes - Tuition fees $ 62456 + other expenses
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters and MBA
Dates and Deadlines - Ms Degree Programme deadline-
Priority deadline: January 5, 2023
Round 2 deadline: February 1, 2023 and
Rolling deadline: April 1, 2023
16. Cornell University - Tech MBA
Tech MBA Tuition fees $ 118758 + other expenses
Priority Deadlines: October 11, 2023
Round 2 Deadlines: January 5, 2023
Rolling Admission Starts: March 7, 2023
17. University of Liverpool
Name of the Product Management Course - Product Design and Management MSc (Eng)
Location - United Kingdom
Duration of the Program - 12 months full time
Cost of the Program - Tuition fees (Home): £11,350Tuition Fees For International Students: £25,050
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - You will need a 2:1 or equivalent. This should be in engineering or science with appropriate knowledge of core engineering science topics at bachelor's degree level
Dates and Deadlines - Rolling
18. University of Oregon
Name of the Product Management Course - Masters of Science in sports product management
Location - United States
Mode of the Program - Onsite/Online
Duration of the Program - 18 months onsite programme for emerging talents and 21 months online programme for working professionals
Cost of the Program - $78000 + Other Expenses
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree (fields of engineering, design, biomechanics, chemistry, human physiology, merchandising, and business are preferred but not required) and at least one year of work experience (sports and outdoor product-related experience is preferred but not required).
19. RMIT University
Name of the Product Management Course – PG Graduate Certificate of Product Management
Location - Australia
Duration of the Program - 12 months
Cost of the Program - $14,400 all 4 courses
Eligibility - An Australian bachelor degree (or equivalent), or a higher-level qualification from a recognised tertiary institution and If you don’t have a bachelor degree or equivalent, you’ll still be considered if you have five years’ full-time work experience. You will need to submit a curriculum vitae.
Dates and Deadlines - 19 September 2022
20. York University
Name of the Product Management Course - Certificate in Product Management
Location - Canada
Mode of the Program - online
Duration of the Program - 6 months
Cost of the Program - $3,297.00
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
21. MIT Sloan School of Management
Name of the Product Management Course - Digital Product Management Certificate
Location - United States
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
22. Indian Institute of Management Indore
Name of the Product Management Course - Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Product Management
Mode of the Program - Online
Duration of the Program - 6 months
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
Eligibility - Minimum 50% marks in Graduation in any discipline, Minimum 2 years of professional experience and No prior programming skills required
23. University of Alberta
Name of the Product Management Course - Software Product Management
Location - Canada
Mode of the Program - Online
Duration of the Program - 6 Months
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
24. Hector School of Engineering and Management
Name of the Product Management Course - Master of Science in Management of Product Development
Location - Germany
Duration of the Program – Approx. 20 Months
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - First University Degree in Mechanical engineering , Electrical engineering , Mechatronics Business engineering or a related subject and Applicant should have basic Knowledge in Higher Mathematics and Stochastic
25. University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign (Gies College of Business)
Name of the Product Management Course - Master of Science in Technology Management
Location - United States
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Dates and Deadlines - Fall 2023 Application Materials Round 1 Deadline: November 15, 2022 Round 2 Deadline: January 15, 2023 Round 3 Deadline: March 31, 2023 Round 4 Deadline: April 30, 2023
26. University of Oulu
Name of the Product Management Course - Master of Science in Product and Project Management
Location - Finland
Mode of the Program - On Campus
Duration of the Program - 2 years
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Dates and Deadlines - Next Application Period- 4-18 January, 2023
27. Nanyang Technological University
Name of the Product Management Course - Product Management
Location - Singapore
Cost of the Program - $2,140.00
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
28. Rochester Institute of Technology
Name of the Product Management Course - Master of Science in Product Management
Location - United States
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Masters
Eligibility - Candidate must complete graduation application, hold baccalaureate degree (or equivalent) in engineering and Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
29. SPJIMR
Name of the Product Management Course - Digital Product Management
Location - India
Level of the course (MBA/ Masters/ Diploma/ Certificate): Certificate
30. University of Colorado Boulder
Name of the Product Management Course - Technology Ventures & Product Management