Demystifying the Product Manager Role: a one-day Interactive Introduction

This one-day interactive session is designed as a practical and engaging introduction to the world of product management. Participants will explore what PMs really do, how the role differs from others in tech, and get a taste of the day-to-day skills required in the role.

 The workshop includes practical exercises such as identifying customer pain points in well-known products, prioritizing product features, and simulating a PM’s daily responsibilities. It is especially useful for professionals in IT, UX, operations, project management, or business roles who are curious about transitioning into product management.

The training will cover the following:

Understanding the Role of a Product Manager

• Icebreaker: “What do you think PMs do?” – collaborative board
• What is Product Management? PM vs PO vs Project Manager
• Overview of PM tasks: ideation, prioritization, influence, execution
• Exercise 1: “A Day in the Life of a PM”

Practicing Core PM Skills

• Overview of core PM skills: product sense, CX focus, prioritization
• Exercise 2: Customer Experience Pain Points
• • Audit of real products (Airbnb, Spotify, Netflix)
  • Identify UX pain points using heuristics
  • Suggest product-level improvements
• Exercise 3: Prioritization Challenge
• • Teams prioritize 5 features for a fictional product using product frameworks
  • Present prioritization logic to the group

Wrap-Up & Reflection

• PM traits and career pathways
• Reflection: “What surprised you about the PM role?”
• Q&A

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the key responsibilities of a product manager
• Distinguish the PM role from adjacent functions (PO, PMO, Project Manager)
• Identify common customer experience pain points using UX heuristics
• Apply simple prioritization frameworks to evaluate product features
• Understand the skills needed to pursue a career in product management

Mini-lectures and real-world examples, team-based interactive exercises, group reflection and facilitated discussion.