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Product management
Every big mobile application started off as an idea in someone's mind; a rough unbridled idea without context and anyone can come up with an idea without having the skills to execute it. This is where they employ the service of a product management company. Now, you may ask, what do project management companies do and why exactly is this service essential?
Basically, providing product management service entails handling all the responsibilities and tasks involved in producing a desired outcome or product for a client. Therefore, the product management service will involve planning, developing, executing and monitoring product works for an individual or an organization. The product might range from app production to website production or even software production. All the processes involved in the creation and monitoring of the aforementioned products are controlled by a product management firm.
The product management service is very essential to firms and individuals around the world. This is because, although anyone can imagine or think of an idea, not every individual thinking of these ideas or products has the ability to execute it. The application of skills and knowledge to birthing a client-perceived concept is what product management firms are popular for. This is especially common in the information technology business. Applications and websites are essential products every multinational corporation requires to increase its customer base. For the execution of this task no matter how big a corporation or organization is, once their speciality is not deep-rooted in website development or app development, the need for product management service will arise.
Basically, providing product management service entails handling all the responsibilities and tasks involved in producing a desired outcome or product for a client. Therefore, the product management service will involve planning, developing, executing and monitoring product works for an individual or an organization. The product might range from app production to website production or even software production. All the processes involved in the creation and monitoring of the aforementioned products are controlled by a product management firm.
The product management service is very essential to firms and individuals around the world. This is because, although anyone can imagine or think of an idea, not every individual thinking of these ideas or products has the ability to execute it. The application of skills and knowledge to birthing a client-perceived concept is what product management firms are popular for. This is especially common in the information technology business. Applications and websites are essential products every multinational corporation requires to increase its customer base. For the execution of this task no matter how big a corporation or organization is, once their speciality is not deep-rooted in website development or app development, the need for product management service will arise.
What is product management?
Diving deeper into the product management service, what is product management itself and what does this process entail? The term "product management", is the application of the required expert skills, knowledge, technology and time into the conceptualization, planning, development, testing, deployment and maintenance of a product. Every one of these activities is designed into a meticulous strategic model that utilizes resources in the most capacity while still saving time. The product management activities for mobile app development doesn't start and end with the deployment of the application.
Monitoring usage through downloads and user feedback is very vital to the success of the product. The evaluation of "what works" and "what doesn't work" will help in getting the necessary information about bugs and updates required to boost functionality and the progress of the product. The product management strategy is always designed with the aim of turning creation into profit. Although different companies and firms have designed several models for product management strategy, the majority of these models follow a basic product management lifecycle. This lifecycle is essential as a base for product management operations and planning.
Monitoring usage through downloads and user feedback is very vital to the success of the product. The evaluation of "what works" and "what doesn't work" will help in getting the necessary information about bugs and updates required to boost functionality and the progress of the product. The product management strategy is always designed with the aim of turning creation into profit. Although different companies and firms have designed several models for product management strategy, the majority of these models follow a basic product management lifecycle. This lifecycle is essential as a base for product management operations and planning.
Product Management Life Cycle
Managing a product typically takes the form of a lifecycle with each step vital to the development and success of such a product. The product management life cycle encompasses all the steps from idea conceptualization to maintenance and support. It is important to follow the lifecycle in order to maintain a strategic momentum that makes the best of the available resources. An efficient product management system is one that follows through each step of the cycle and hits every mark in the product management KPI in the process.
1. Conceptualization
The first step in the lifecycle is conceptualization. As earlier stated, anyone can come up with an idea. This idea is the base of conceptualization. Conceptualization is the process of answering every "why", "what" and "who". Questions like, "why is the product necessary?", "what is the principal purpose for the production of this product?" and "for whom is this product meant for?", all need answers in this step.
The answers will provide insight into the original idea, after which a concept is drawn out. This concept is the blueprint of the product which guides managers to developing a timeline, delegating responsibilities and creating a budget. The conceptualization quite vital to the end success, as if these questions are left unanswered, then the direction is almost impossible.
The answers will provide insight into the original idea, after which a concept is drawn out. This concept is the blueprint of the product which guides managers to developing a timeline, delegating responsibilities and creating a budget. The conceptualization quite vital to the end success, as if these questions are left unanswered, then the direction is almost impossible.
2. Design
The second step is the design and Prototype Creation. After a concept is created, every department is delegated with their duties and the timeline has been set. The next thing is to create a background design and prototype. The purpose of design is turning the concept into reality. Once a concept cannot be fully transformed into a concrete design or prototype before full production, then its essential to take one step back into the concept room to reiterate the plan and check what went wrong. The design phase is giving a reality check to confirm if all the features stipulated in the concept note is marginally possible or even necessary for the development of the product.
3. Development
At the end of the second phase, a prototype of the final product must have been created. The sum total of all the features is already complete by then and there is a full vision of the end goal. By this time, the next phase is the development phase. Taking the design and turning it into reality. If it were product management for a new snack, the development phase will involve multiplying the prototype recipe by multiples of thousands to create batches of the product for release.
Development is dependent on the process and the technicalities involved in the production. The time taken for production should be considerably lesser than the time it took to create the prototype. In the development stage, the major product management KPI is the number of errors which a manufacturer or producer faces in replicating the prototype. This is because the second phase in the lifecycle is for detecting the lapses that are contained within the original plan and to cover up these loopholes. Of course, no one expects 100% smooth development, however, a success rate below 70-90% is an indication of a major error in the prototype or original concept.
Development is dependent on the process and the technicalities involved in the production. The time taken for production should be considerably lesser than the time it took to create the prototype. In the development stage, the major product management KPI is the number of errors which a manufacturer or producer faces in replicating the prototype. This is because the second phase in the lifecycle is for detecting the lapses that are contained within the original plan and to cover up these loopholes. Of course, no one expects 100% smooth development, however, a success rate below 70-90% is an indication of a major error in the prototype or original concept.
4. Testing
Upon development, the fourth phase is testing. Testing the stability and reliability of a product is very crucial to functionality. Testing in any product management system prevents future loss and additional avoidable costs. Detecting bugs in the design and getting a full evaluation of the functionalities and quality of the user interface are examples of testing results common to app development.
5. Deployment
Deployment is the fifth phase and is the release of the product into the market. This phase does not just involve selling the product alone but includes all marketing strategies used to bring the product to the prospective buyers. In a production management team, the advertisement and marketing team handles these responsibilities.
6. Monitoring and maintenance
Following the deployment is the final phase in the cycle, that is the continuous monitoring and maintenance of the product. Taking in recalls, monitoring loopholes and correcting product lapses is important to increase sales and build up customer trust. This is where the strength of product management lies. The strength of a product management team is to effectively monitor the sales and market to recall and adequately make updates when and where necessary.
Product Management of Mobile Applications
The project management cycle of mobile applications follows through from conceptualization to maintenance, just as described above. The production process begins with defining the purpose, functionalities and market value of the application to be developed. A plan is created after these definitions have been clearly stated. A product manager will delegate responsibilities and work thus began.
In the next phase after conceptualization, a designer collects the main idea from the concept to create a wireframe from which a prototype will be developed. The prototype will highlight the different functionalities and features of the apps. An app prototype will guide onto development.
Development of the app is taken over by the software development team, who write all the necessary programs both front end backend to bring the app to life. At the moment the application is developed and is functional, testing to check for bugs and irregularities is done. The quality control team takes charge to discover the lapses in the user interface and/or system processing of the app. Bugs discovered are fixed and necessary updates are made before putting out the mobile application up for downloads on the application stores.
The support and maintenance of the app is the last phase of the mobile application product management process. Putting down a listening ear to end-users complaints and suggestions constantly monitoring the stability and fixing bugs is vital for the complete success of any mobile application for iOS or Android. The quality of the application after every update to fix a complaint or bug increases and in turn yields maximum profits.
The cycle of product management is a systematically thought-out and strategic process developed to transform any idea into a marketable product. Every step in the production phase is crucial to the final product. In each step, there are major key performance indicators that must be defined and measured. Before moving on from phase to phase, the product management KPI must be met at a score of at least 80% in order to ensure total completeness and quality of the process. The excellence of any mobile application product is entirely dependent on the product management process.
In the next phase after conceptualization, a designer collects the main idea from the concept to create a wireframe from which a prototype will be developed. The prototype will highlight the different functionalities and features of the apps. An app prototype will guide onto development.
Development of the app is taken over by the software development team, who write all the necessary programs both front end backend to bring the app to life. At the moment the application is developed and is functional, testing to check for bugs and irregularities is done. The quality control team takes charge to discover the lapses in the user interface and/or system processing of the app. Bugs discovered are fixed and necessary updates are made before putting out the mobile application up for downloads on the application stores.
The support and maintenance of the app is the last phase of the mobile application product management process. Putting down a listening ear to end-users complaints and suggestions constantly monitoring the stability and fixing bugs is vital for the complete success of any mobile application for iOS or Android. The quality of the application after every update to fix a complaint or bug increases and in turn yields maximum profits.
The cycle of product management is a systematically thought-out and strategic process developed to transform any idea into a marketable product. Every step in the production phase is crucial to the final product. In each step, there are major key performance indicators that must be defined and measured. Before moving on from phase to phase, the product management KPI must be met at a score of at least 80% in order to ensure total completeness and quality of the process. The excellence of any mobile application product is entirely dependent on the product management process.
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