Episode 3: Day in the Life of a Analyst of Product Management
The entry level job in a product management career
Welcome to this week’s episode of the "Day in the Life of" series, where we continue our exploration into the roles that shape the tech landscape. Today, we shine the spotlight on an entry level role within the product management team: the Analyst of Product Management. While this is the most junior role in product management, it’s still very important step for the individual as well as the responsibilities of this role is a big part of the product development process, delving deep into data and user feedback to refine and enhance product functionality.
The Analyst of Product Management: A Data-Driven Individual that Executes for their co-creators, customer, and business.
A day in the life of an Analyst of Product Management is a carefully orchestrated balance of analysis, creativity, and collaboration. Their role is crucial in providing the data-driven insights that shape the product's future, supporting the broader vision set by product managers. They are able to take instruction for the big picture and help break it down into user stories for their co-creators to go build great experiences.
Before we get into a glimpse into their typical day
For those that are brand new to product management, let me summarize this role in two ways.
High level overview
The Pen Analogy
High Level Overview:
An Analyst of Product Management plays a crucial supporting role in the development and enhancement of digital products, a field that involves creating software or online services. Imagine this role as a key assistant in a team of experts who are building a new app or improving an existing online service. The Analyst works closely with more experienced leaders, such as Product Managers, to understand and define the specifics of what needs to be built or modified – these are called 'user stories'. A user story is a short, simple description of a feature from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer of the system.
For example, for a shopping app, a user story might be, "As a shopper, I want to filter products by color so that I can find items matching my preferences more quickly." You can imagine for an app or a filter feature like I just mentioned, there would be plenty of user stories to ensure we cover the end to end experience and all the edge cases!
To succeed, the Analyst relies on existing strategies, roadmaps, and processes that guide the development of the product. They are not just passively following instructions; they actively contribute to the process by analyzing data to spot trends, writing detailed user stories, and identifying any potential issues that might disrupt the development process. They also play a role in User Acceptance Testing (UAT), which is like a final check to ensure the new features work well from the user's perspective. Additionally, they support their team by regularly reporting on the progress and value of the product features being developed. In essence, they are a bridge between the vision of the product and the practical steps needed to realize it, helping ensure that the final product truly meets the needs of its users.
The Pen Analogy
Imagine you're part of a team tasked with creating a new pen, and you're the Analyst of Product Management. Your role is similar to an architect who specializes in turning broad visions into detailed blueprints. The senior product person, like a visionary builder, has set the main goal: to create a pen that writes smoothly and feels good in the hand. This is your project's foundation.
Now, as the Analyst, you step in to draw the detailed plans. You might think of suggesting a pen cap as an additional feature, but the senior product person advises focusing first on the core functionality — the writing experience and the pen's ergonomics. This is an example of an iterative approach, where you start with the most essential elements and gradually build upon them based on user feedback.
In crafting the user stories, you would focus on these primary features. A user story might be, "As a user, I want a pen that fits comfortably in my hand, so that I can write for long periods without discomfort." Another could be, "As a frequent writer, I need the pen to deliver smooth ink flow, so that my writing is uninterrupted and looks consistent."
You're not just writing these stories; you're also gathering data and insights to make them as accurate and helpful as possible. You might analyze trends in ergonomic design or study user preferences in ink flow. This research helps ensure that the pen you're helping to create truly meets the needs and desires of its intended users. You may find competitors in the space and write with their pen so you can provide even more detailed examples and thoughts to your co-creators (the designers, developers and QA professionals) so they are aware of the experiences in the market as they build.
Your role is critical in bridging the gap between a high-level concept ("a pen that writes well and feels good") and the tangible product to be developed. By focusing on these key aspects, you lay the groundwork for a successful product, leaving room for future enhancements like the pen cap in subsequent iterations.
Now let’s dive into a Day in the Life of an Analyst of Product Management
I’ve included some questions that may be discussed in these meetings…
A day in the life of an Analyst of Product Management
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9 AM: Stand-up with Developers, QA, Design The day begins with a rhythm-setting stand-up meeting. Here, the analyst syncs with the development, QA, and design teams, setting the tone for a day of collaborative effort and problem-solving.
What did everyone work on yesterday, what are they working on today, and any hurdles?
10 AM: Roadmap Review with Product Manager Next, the analyst joins the product manager for a roadmap review, aligning their tasks with the larger product strategy and ensuring their analyses contribute meaningfully to the overall vision.
What are we hoping to learn with our next release? What signals are we looking for that may change the roadmap? What are our goals?
11 AM: Refinement Session for User Stories Mid-morning is dedicated to refining user stories. The analyst's will review the details of the user stories with co-creators and will take any questions they may have. Clarity in thought and attention to detail is critical when preparing for this meeting
Why are we doing this? What data do we have to know if we will be successful? Do you have any examples? Have you thought about certain edge cases? What happens if the user receives an error when trying to accomplish their goal, do you have suggestions on how to handle that?
1 PM: Analyzing Data for Recently Launched Features After lunch, the focus shifts to data analysis. The analyst reviews performance data for features launched the previous week, looking for trends, insights, and areas for improvement.
What was our goal and are we close? What trends do I see that align with what we thought may happen? Does something look off here? If I look at the past 30 days vs. the previous 30 days, do I see growth, more of the same, or decline?
2 PM: Participating in Design Review for Upcoming Iterations The analyst then participates in a design review for the next iteration of the product, offering insights from data and user feedback to guide design decisions.
What options have we tried? Do we have a sense of how our competitors are handling this? Does this work within our existing design guidelines? Are we concerned about the technical effort to bring this to life? If we needed something sooner, is there a way to design for our Minimal Viable Product and then bring more complex approaches for later phases once we learn if the customer is using this at a high level?
3 PM: Editing and Writing New User Stories Later in the afternoon, the analyst revisits the morning's refinement notes, refining and crafting new user stories that will guide future development work.
What was a common theme of feedback from my co-creators that I can make sure I proactively handle next time? Where could I be more clear and provide more clarity in my user stories?
4 PM: User Acceptance Testing (UAT) As the day nears its end, the analyst conducts UAT for new experiences developed by the team, ensuring they meet the defined requirements and provide the intended user value.
Were all the aspects of the user story captured here? Before I UAT, what bugs did the QA team find so I don’t report them again? Does this experience meet what I intended when writing the user stories?
5 PM: Status Update on Newly Launched Features The day wraps up with the analyst sending out a status update on the newly launched features, keeping the team and stakeholders informed of progress and insights.
What were our goals? Are there any friction points or hurdles I need support with? Do I need to remind my audience of the problem we are solving? How can I add the most value to my audience when they read this?
The Analyst of Product Management is very important in the product development process, harmonizing data analysis with user-centric design and development. Their insights not only inform the present but also shape the future of the product, ensuring alignment with user needs and business goals.
Stay tuned for more insights into the dynamic world of product management in our upcoming episodes.
Until next week!
