Product Planner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Product Planner is the title of a role in Product Management. The title is often incorrectly synonymous with Product Manager (a very broad and loosely defined role).
Product Planner is a strategic role that is owned by a market expert who articulates the market problem and needs. The “Product Planner” researches the market, identifies the market opportunity, and articulates user and buyer needs in the form of market requirement statements.
The primary responsibility of the product planner is to constantly research the market and identify market needs, which are later translated into market requirements that in turn will foster new products or new features to existing products. The product planner prepares the documents that profoundly impact the product’s success. These documents include the Market Requirements Document (MRD), product use cases, product roadmap, and the pricing model.
The primary deliverable of the “Product Planner” is the Market Requirements Document (MRD), which reflects a complete, accurate, and true understanding of the market and its needs.
The product planner determines and defines product functionality by virtue of writing the market requirements, and therefore the prime goal is to have product buyers and users who are satisfied with the product. This satisfaction level means contentment with the product’s ability to solve business or consumer problems and satisfy needs, and being satisfied with the non-tangible aspects of product ownership such as service, price, warrantee, status, or prestige.
The “Product Planner” must be able to communicate well with both external and internal organizations. External to the company, the “Product Planner” communicates and works with customers to determine their problems and identify market requirements. Internally, the “Product Planner” communicates and works with organizational functions such as Engineering, Product Marketing, and Sales. The “Product Planner” also acts as a communication interface between the product management team and the product definition team.
The product planner works with other members of the “Product Definition Team”, notably the Product Architect.
[edit] See Also
- Product Management
- Product Manager
- Product Planning
- Product Architect
[edit] References
- Gabriel Steinhardt (2007). "Crafting Market Requirements" (PDF). 2.0. . Blackblot Retrieved on 2008.
- Gabriel Steinhardt (2007). "Product Definition Team" (PDF). 2.0. . Blackblot Retrieved on 2008.
