How to make less of a mess in product management

Our company has engineering and it has marketing, and sales. So, who has responsibility for the product? The engineers don't know the marketplace and the salespeople have no control or knowledge of engineering, so neither is qualified to take care of our products to ensure they have the right features at the right price.

As a marketer, I can help fill the gap, but only indirectly. I'm proud of what I've got them to do for us but sometimes I yearn for total control and power over the product. What we really need is a 'product manager'! This article helps define the role and pitfalls in such an assignment.

How to make less of a mess in software product management: 'Product management means building the right product for the market at the right time, and helping sales sell it,' Corrigan says. 'It means understanding your customer inside and out, so that you can deliver the right product to the right audience. Product management puts the product on the shelf; product marketing is getting people to take it off the shelf.'