Product management behind the scenes

Our product owner, Anja Šolak, shared an insightful Friday Talks session about product management behind the scenes, sharing her hands-on experience from different projects she worked on.

Exploring product management behind the scenes, Anja dived into the lesser-known aspects of the process, shedding light on the collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making that drive the creation of successful products.

A set of strategizing behind the scenes

When we talk about the development of digital products, the focus is usually on design, code, and launch. But behind every successful product, lies a series of decisions, analyses, negotiations, and expectations – elements that often remain in the shadows for most product team members.

It’s a complex, dynamic environment where every team member plays a crucial role, and the path to a polished final product is rarely a straight line. By understanding the story behind the product—we can see how it evolves, who the key players are, and how each obstacle is met with innovation and teamwork.

A bridge between the end user, business, and tech team

Anja shared that, for her, product management is the bridge between the end user, business, and tech team. Its job is to define vision, manage the roadmap, collect feedback, balance priorities, and make data-driven decisions. One of the main activities is stakeholder management, communication, and managing expectations to secure a clear development direction.

None of these activities are part of code development, but they will definitely directly influence what the tech part of the team does and why. 

Understanding the bigger picture and context lets us all contribute more meaningfully and deliver greater value to the end user.

Making the invisible visible

Given everything mentioned above, it’s clear that the often-invisible work of product management must be brought to light – because that’s where the end result truly takes shape.

Making the non-visible work of product management more visible is essential to understanding the full scope of the product development process. It is in these behind-the-scenes efforts where key decisions, strategies, and adjustments are made that ultimately shape the final product’s success. By acknowledging and highlighting this crucial work, we can ensure that the value of product management is fully recognized and that teams are equipped to create better, more effective products.

Explore our blog section for more insightful topics we’ll share with you soon.