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Each month, Tom Mochal, President of TenStep, Inc. presents project management tips and techniques for planning and managing a project. TenStep, Inc. has a comprehensive, scalable project management process called TenStep (www.TenStep.com), as well as a project lifecycle process called LifecycleStep (www.LifecycleStep.com). Tom has also published a popular book called Lessons in Project Management that can be purchased at www.TenStep.com. Pipeline readers receive 20% off any TenStep or LifecycleStep purchase by entering the coupon code of "Pipeline" in their purchase.
Many people are not sure of the differences between product management and project management. The roles should be clear. Project management is focused on the projects that are used to create or enhance a product. Product management is the process associated with the long-term care and feeding of the product once the project ends.
The role of a project manager is to plan and manage a project. The role of a product manager is focused on the long-term support of the product within the organization. The product management role is as follows.
(The following responsibilities assume that the product is actually a third-party tool or software. If your product is created internally, you may not have the vendor responsibilities described below.)
Product Planning
Coordinate product issues and all communication as the primary contact with the product vendor
Monitor product direction with the vendor and communicate this information to company stakeholders
Determine which components of the product should be used in the organization
Identify opportunities for use of the product
Testing
Coordinate testing of new products and releases, including coordinating pilots with potential product users
Determine when a product is “production-ready” based on testing and pilot projects
Coordinate certification of new products and releases
Financial Management
Coordinate negotiation of product contracts, purchase agreements, and maintenance agreements
Ensure that budget is available for product purchases and maintenance
Determine when to consider canceling or reducing maintenance payments based on product direction
Product Implementation and Deployment
Coordinate development of a product deployment plan
Manage and monitor the deployment of the product or new releases
Deploy (distribute) the product
Track product inventory (where the product has been deployed)
Receive ongoing requests from the staff for individual product deployment
Integrate and add new products and releases into the architecture
Product Release Management
Decide when to upgrade to a new release
Plan and manage new release implementation
Ensure new releases get added into the architecture if required
Product Retirement
Determine when product needs to be retired
Plan and manage product retirement
Retire (uninstall) the product from the environment
Ensure product gets removed from the architecture
Would you like to receive project management tips every week? Sign up for the weekly TenStep Project Management Tip of the Week at www.TenStep.com. Read about Tom’s new book, Lessons in People Management, at www.tenstepstore.com/detail/2.14LessonsinPeopleMgmt.html.
