Wrike Product Management Guide

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Product management describes the research, development, positioning, and support of a product over the course of its life cycle. Product management is a critical business function that enables organizations to identify opportunities for growth and build customer-centric solutions and platforms. 

Software product management, in particular, involves delivering products that bring value to or solve a particular problem or pain point for an end-user. In this way, product management marries the technical aspects of development with an understanding of the market, its trends, and how the product fulfills business needs. For product managers, valuable research and insights are often essential to understanding customer needs and requirements. 

In this guide, we’ll cover some product management basics, including the ins and outs of key roles like product manager and product owner. We’ll also touch on the ways artifacts like product roadmaps, backlogs, and requirements documentation help set short and long-term priorities for successful product teams. 

In our FAQ section, you’ll learn about product management strategy, the top product management skills to have, and the difference between roles like product manager vs. technical product manager

Read our full guide for an introduction to product management and discover terms and vocabulary definitions in our glossary that will further build your understanding.

What's in the Product Management Guide?

01
What Is Product Management?
Discover the basics of product management
What Is Product Management?
02
What Is a Software Product?
The software development process
What Is a Software Product?
03
Software Product Manager
Software product manager role and responsibilities
Software Product Manager
04
Product Owner
What is a product owner? Roles and skills explained
Product Owner
05
Product Life Cycle
The ultimate guide to the product life cycle
Product Life Cycle
06
Product Roadmap
Create a high-level product plan
Product Roadmap
07
Product Management Software and Tools
Discover the best product management software
Product Management Software and Tools
08
Product Backlog
How to groom your backlog for product success
Product Backlog
09
Product Management OKRs
Set effective product management OKRs
Product Management OKRs
10
Product Requirements Documents
Everything you need to know about PRDs
Product Requirements Documents
11
Product Management Metrics and KPIs
How to understand product success
Product Management Metrics and KPIs
12
Product Analytics
Track, interpret, and analyze customer behaviour
Product Analytics
13
Lean Product Management
Doing more with less
Lean Product Management
14
Product Management Resources
Learn more about product management
Product Management Resources
15
Product Management Templates
Streamline your product management
Product Management Templates
16
FAQ
Find answers to your product management questions
FAQ
17
Product Management Glossary
Learn more about product management terminology
Product Management Glossary