Exploring the expectations of the product manager role: the case of the Hungarian software industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14267/VEZTUD.2024.07-08.03Keywords:
product manager, software industry expectations, content analysis, competencies, responsibilitiesAbstract
Stakeholder-driven development has become significant in the software industry. As a result, product managers have taken on a crucial role in IT projects by considering the demands of stakeholders, business objectives and knowing available technological solutions. The theoretical section of this article provides an overview of the evolution and characteristics of the product manager role. This paper empirically explored the various expectations towards product managers through the example of the Hungarian software industry by the content analysis of job advertisements (n=212) from LinkedIn. The identified patterns show that the product manager role differs depending on the size of the company. The results show that as the size of a company increases, leadership and active listening skills become increasingly important. On the other hand, micro- and small enterprises demonstrate the highest level of responsibility regarding cooperation. The findings of this article can offer valuable guidance for future product managers.
Downloads
References
Aaker, D.A., & Joachimsthaler, E. (2012). Brand leadership. Simon and Schuster.
Aimé, I., Berger-Remy, F., & Laporte, M.E. (2018). Lessons from nearly a century of the brand management system. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 10(4), 420–450. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-06-2017-0026
Banfield, R., Eriksson, M., & Walkingshaw, N. (2017). Product leadership: How top product managers launch excellent products and build successful teams. O’Reilly Media.
Berander, P., & Andrews, A. (2005). Requirements Prioritization. In Aurum, A., & Wohlin, C. (Eds.), Engineering and Managing Software Requirements (pp. 69-94). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-28244-0_4
Brem, A., & Wolfram, P. (2014). Research and development from the bottom up-introduction of terminologies for new product development in emerging markets. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 3(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1186/2192-5372-3-9
Chisa, E. (2014). Evolution of the product manager. Communications of the ACM, 57(11), 48–52. https://doi.org/10.1145/2669480
Cummings, W.T., Jackson Jr, D.W., & Ostrom, L.L. (1984). Differences between industrial and consumer product managers. Industrial Marketing Management, 13(3), 171–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-8501(84)90030-0
Dingsøyr, T., Nerur, S., Balijepally, V., & Moe, N.B. (2012). A decade of agile methodologies: Towards explaining agile software development. Journal of Systems and Software, 85(6), 1213–1221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2012.02.033
Drisko, J.W., & Maschi, T. (2016). Content analysis. Pocket Guide to Social Work Re. DOI. (2023). Competency Dictionary. U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/competency-dictionary-jan-2023-508-compliant.pdf
Ebert, C. (2007). The impacts of software product management. Journal of Systems and Software, 80(6), 850–861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2006.09.017
Ebert, C., & Brinkkemper, S. (2014). Software product management – An industry evaluation. Journal of Systems and Software, 95, 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2013.12.042
Eriksson, M. (2011). What, exactly, is a Product Manager? Mind the Product. https://www.mindtheproduct.com/what-exactly-is-a-product-manager/
EUR-Lex. (2003). Document L:2003:124:TOC. Official Journal of the European Union, 46(124), 54.
Fernandes, M.F. (2016). Competency Profiling for Product Managers [ISCTE University Institute of Lisbon]. https://repositorio.iscte-iul.pt/bitstream/10071/14065/1/Dissertação_Mariana_Fernandes_67880.pdf
Finch, D.J., Levallet, N., McIntyre, S.M., & Pyde, K. (2023). What makes a product manager? A dynamic capabilities view of product management. International Journal of Product Development, 27(3), 213–244. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJPD.2023.133056
Gorchels, L. (2003). Transitioning from engineering to product management. Engineering Management Journal, 15(4), 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/10429247.2003.11415224
Grützner, T., Schnider, C., Zollinger, D., Seyfang, B.C., & Künzle, N. (2016). Reducing time to market by innovative development and production strategies. Chemical Engineering & Technology, 39(10), 1835–1844. https://doi.org/10.1002/ceat.201600113
HIPA. (2018). Information and communication technology sector in Hungary. Hungarian Investment PromotionAgency report. https://hipa.hu/images/publications/hipa-ict-in-hungary_2018_09_20.pdf
Hise, R.T., & Kelly, J.P. (1978). Product Management on Trial: Its Advantages and Disadvantages… and what can be Done to Improve it. Journal of Marketing, 42(4), 28–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224297804200404
Jindal, R.P., Sarangee, K.R., Echambadi, R., & Lee, S. (2016). Designed to Succeed: Dimensions of Product Design and Their Impact on Market Share. Journal of Marketing, 80(4), 72-89. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0036
Kaganski, S., Majak, J., Karjust, K., & Toompalu, S. (2017). Implementation of Key Performance Indicators Selection Model as Part of the Enterprise Analysis Model. Procedia CIRP, 63, 283–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2017.03.143
Kessler, C., & Sweitzer, J. (2007). Outside-in Software Development: A Practical Approach to Building Successful Stakeholder-based Products. Pearson Education.
Kittlaus, H.B. (2017). Software product management: The ISPMA-Compliant Study Guide and Handbook. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65116-2
Kittlaus, H.B., & Clough, P.N. (2009). Software product management and pricing: Key success factors for software organizations. Springer.
Kneuper, R. (2018). Software processes and lifecycle models. Springer.
Lesser, E., & Ban, L. (2016). How leading companies practice software development and delivery to achieve a competitive edge. Strategy & Leadership, 44(1), 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-11-2015-0083
Lica, M.D. (2021). The Art of Product Management – a Practical Guide for Product Value Maximization. Resilience and Economic Intelligence Through Digitalization and Big Data Analytics, 412–422. https://doi.org/10.2478/9788366675704-041
Low, G.S., & Fullerton, R.A. (1994). Brands, brand management, and the brand manager system: A critical- historical evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research, 31(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.2307/3152192
Luck, D.J. (1969). Interfaces of a product manager. Journal of Marketing, 33(4), 32–36. https://doi.org/10.2307/1248670
Lukassen, C., & Schuurman, R. (2023). Practical Product Management for Product Owners: Creating Winning Products with the Professional Product Owner Stances. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Maglyas, A., Nikula, U., & Smolander, K. (2013). What are the roles of software product managers? An empirical investigation. Journal of Systems and Software, 86(12), 3071–3090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2013.07.045
Marta-Lazo, C., González-Aldea, P., & Herrero-Curiel, E. (2018). Professional competencies and profiles in journalism demanded by companies: Analysis of offers at LinkedIn and Infojobs. Communication & Society, 31(4), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.31.4.211-228
McElroy, N.H. (1931). Company memo: Marketing – Brand Teams. https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/McElroyBrandMan.pdf
McGrath, M.E. (2004). Next Generation Product Development: How to Increase Productivity, Cut Costs, and Reduce Cycle Times. McGraw Hill.
McGreal, D., & Jocham, R. (2018). The professional product owner: Leveraging scrum as a competitive advantage. Addison-Wesley Professional.
Parker, A., & Brown, I. (2019). Competencies requirements for cyber security professionals: a content analysis of job descriptions in South Africa. In Information Security: 17th International Conference, ISSA 2018, Pretoria, South Africa, August 15–16, 2018, Revised Selected Papers 17 (pp. 176–192). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11407-7_13
PMI. (2021). Project management body of knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute. Pranam, A. (2018). Product Management Essentials. Apress. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-3303-0
Quiñones, D., Rusu, C., & Rusu, V. (2018). A methodology to develop usability/user experience heuristics. Computer Standards & Interfaces, 59(C), 109–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csi.2018.03.002
Rauniar, R., Doll, W., Rawski, G., & Hong, P. (2008). The role of heavyweight product manager in new product development. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 28(2), 130–154. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443570810846874
Soratto, J., Pires, D.E.P. de, & Friese, S. (2020). Thematic content analysis using ATLAS. ti software: Potentialities for researchs in health. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2019-0250
Spring, D. (2013). The Globalization of American Advertising and Brand Management: A Brief History of the J. Walter Thompson Company, Procter and Gamble, and US Foreign Policy. Global Studies Journal, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.18848/1835-4432/CGP/V05I04/40869
Springer, O., & Miler, J. (2018). The role of a software product manager in various business environments. In 2018 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS) (pp. 985–994). IEEE.
Steinhardt, G. (2017). Defining Product Management. In G. Steinhardt (Ed.), The Product Manager’s Toolkit: Methodologies, Processes, and Tasks in Technology Product Management (pp. 89–96). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49998-7_10
Strader, T.J. (2010). Digital Product Management, Technology and Practice: Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. IGI Global.
Szabó, B., & Hercegfi, K. (2023). User-centered approaches in software development processes: Qualitative research into the practice of Hungarian companies. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 35(2), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.2501
Szabó, B., & Ribényi, M. (2018). Az agilis módszertanok megítélése a beosztottak és vezetők szemszögéből. Vezetéstudomány/Budapest Management Review, 49(6), 22–32. https://doi.org/10.14267/veztud.2018.06.03
Torres, T. (2021). Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value. Product Talk LLC.
Tyagi, R.K., & Sawhney, M.S. (2010). High‐performance product management: the impact of structure, process, competencies, and role definition. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 27(1), 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-5885.2009.00701.x
VersionOne. (2022). 16th Annual State Of Agile Report (Vol. 16, Issue 1). https://info.digital.ai/rs/981-LQX-968/images/AR-SA-2022-16th-Annual-State-Of-Agile-Report.pdf
Wagenblatt, T. (2019). Software Product Management: Finding the Right Balance for YourProduct Inc. In Product Development: The Essential Part of Your Software Product Manager Role (pp. 227–314). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19871-8_5
![](https://journals.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/public/journals/2/submission_1542_1895_coverImage_en_US.png)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Vezetéstudomány / Budapest Management Review
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors assign copyright to Vezetéstudomány / Budapest Management Review. Authors are responsible for permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.