Leading global training provider Product Focus have released a report for Product Management professionals in the retail industry entitled ‘Product Management in a World of Digital Transformation’ describing how product managers can find their place in the constantly changing modern workplace.
The combined impacts of evolving markets, consumer expectations for digital services, affordability of emerging technologies and an increased focus on agile work cultures have changed the appetite for digital transformation. The paper argues that the traditional view of product managers as “product problem solvers” is no longer fit for purpose, but digital transformation presents them with an ideal opportunity to step up and become leaders.
Product Focus has used insights gained from working with hundreds of companies and product professionals to set out the key features of digital transformation. The aim is to help product managers working in organisations undergoing or considering digital transformation to make sense of the deluge of information about this topic, enabling them to separate the reality from the hype. It also explains where product management fits and why it is becoming an increasingly important role in the digital age, before coming to the compelling conclusion that product management is a leadership role and must be treated as such.
Founding Director of Product Focus, Ian Lunn, is an industry leader with over 25 years’ experience in product management roles. He started Product Focus in 2006, with fellow Director Andrew Dickenson, to help companies achieve high-quality product management, through teaching the skills and providing the tools they need to excel. The team works with a wide range of companies, from start-ups to huge multinationals, delivering online and face-to-face training courses across the world.
On the reasoning behind the whitepaper, Ian explains, “Change is hard to accomplish in any organization but championing digital transformation is a great opportunity for product managers. We want to arm them with an understanding and perspective that gives them credibility and influence within their organisation, ensuring their new product launches are always a success.
“Many old certainties in business have been swept away, driven in no small part by the growing ubiquity and low cost of digital technologies. There’s no indication that this will slow down so we should assume that digital transformation is here to stay.”