Who is a Technical Product Manager?: Skills, Salary, & Qualifications

Product management is the business process of planning, developing, launching, and overseeing a product or service throughout its lifecycle. A technical product manager plays a crucial role in ensuring that the product roadmap aligns with the organization’s goals and customer needs. In simpler terms, they are masters of all trades who understand the business, the technology, and the customers. 

With the average salary for a TPM being 246% higher than the national average salary in India, it is not surprising that many people are interested in this role. In this blog, we will explore the key roles, responsibilities, skills, and steps required to become a successful technical product manager. 

Who is a Technical Product Manager?

A technical product manager is a key player in the product development process. They play a multifaceted role by acting as a liaison between the business and technical teams. They are responsible for ensuring that the product is not only user-friendly but also aligns with business goals and technical realities. TPMs use their deep technical understanding to transform user needs into feasible features. They collaborate extensively with different teams, including engineering, design, marketing, and sales, to ensure that the product is innovative and built on a solid foundation. 

Roles and Responsibilities of a Technical Product Manager

A technical product manager fulfills a diverse range of roles and responsibilities that aim to ensure the successful development and launch of a product that meets user needs and business goals. Here are the key roles and responsibilities of a technical product manager:

• Market Research and Competitive Analysis: They conduct thorough market research, analyze competitor products, and interpret user feedback to identify opportunities and inform the product strategy. 

• Product Vision and Roadmap Creation: They define the product vision and translate it into a clear roadmap, prioritizing features for development. They ensure that the product strategy aligns with the overall business goals and vision.

• Technical Expertise and Feature Definition: Their deep technical understanding allows them to break down user needs into actionable features, ensuring both functionality and technical feasibility. 

• User Research and Prioritization: They understand user pain points and prioritize features based on user needs and potential business impact through user research. They advocate for the users and ensure that the product is designed to meet their needs, resulting in higher user satisfaction.

• Risk Assessment and Mitigation: They identify and mitigate potential technical risks that might arise during product development. They work closely with technical teams to ensure that risks are identified and addressed early on, minimizing the impact on the product development process.

• Development Process Management: They define the acceptance criteria, and user stories, and ensure features are built within Agile frameworks. They help the teams stay on track and ensure that the product is delivered on time and within budget.

• Product Testing & Iteration: They collaborate on product testing, analyze user feedback, and advocate for iterative improvements based on data collected. They ensure that the product is tested rigorously and that user feedback is incorporated to improve the product continuously.

• Product Launch and Market Strategy: They play a key role in crafting the product launch strategy to ensure a smooth transition from development to market. They work closely with marketing and sales teams to ensure that the product is launched successfully and that it meets the needs of the target audience. 

• Metrics and Performance Analysis: They help businesses make informed decisions by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensuring that the product is aligned with business goals.

Qualifications of a Technical Product Manager

Becoming a technical product manager is an excellent career path for those interested in both the technical aspects and strategic vision of a product. To excel in this role, you require a well-rounded skill set combining technical knowledge, business acumen, and strong business communication skills. Here are the prerequisites for landing the role of a technical product manager: 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, information technology, or a related field.
• Minimum two years of experience in a technical position.
• Experience in a senior or leadership role is highly preferable.
• Ability to balance product development and design-specific responsibilities.
• Knowledge of product and software development methods.
• Familiarity with software development tools, coding languages, and cloud platforms.

Skills of a Technical Product Manager

To become a successful technical product manager, you need to have a combination of technical and managerial skills. Some of the essential skills required to become a technical product manager are:

• Technical Proficiency: A deep understanding of the technology stack relevant to the product you are managing is crucial. This includes knowledge of programming languages, databases, cloud computing, APIs, and other relevant technologies.

• Data Analysis: Ability to interpret data, analyze metrics, and derive insights to inform product decisions. Proficiency in tools like Excel, SQL, or data visualization platforms is beneficial.

• UX/UI Principles: Familiarity with user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design principles to ensure that the product meets usability and design standards.

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and articulate a clear product vision and strategy aligned with business goals.

• Requirement Gathering: Skills in eliciting, documenting, and prioritizing product requirements from stakeholders, customers, and market research.

• Agile Methodologies: Proficiency in Agile frameworks, such as Scrum or Kanban, to facilitate iterative development and adaptability to changing requirements.

• Product Lifecycle Management: Understanding of the entire product lifecycle, from ideation and development to launch and ongoing maintenance.

• Analytical Thinking: Capacity to analyze problems, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions.

• Decision Making: Ability to make informed decisions based on data, market insights, and business priorities, even in ambiguous situations.

Explore the best product management course to gain all the valuable skills required to become a product manager.

Importance of a Technical Product Manager

TPMs are responsible for overseeing the entire product development cycle, from ideation to release, and ensuring that the product meets the needs of both the end-users and the organization’s goals. Here are some reasons why TPMs are invaluable:

• Ensuring Technical Feasibility and Quality: They assess the technical feasibility of proposed product features and functionalities, working closely with engineering teams to define realistic requirements and timelines. They advocate for technical excellence and quality assurance throughout the product development lifecycle, mitigating risks and ensuring the delivery of high-quality products.

• Optimizing Resource Allocation and Prioritization: TPMs prioritize product features and initiatives based on the business value, technical complexity, and market demand. By leveraging their understanding of both technical constraints and market dynamics, they optimize resource allocation to maximize ROI and accelerate time-to-market.

• Driving Business Growth and Revenue Generation: Ultimately, TPMs contribute to business growth and revenue generation by delivering innovative products that meet market demand, delight customers, and outperform competitors. Their strategic insights, technical expertise, and leadership skills are instrumental in driving product success and achieving business objectives.

How to Become a Technical Product Manager?

Becoming a product manager can be an exciting and rewarding career path. Here are four steps to guide you if you’re wondering how to become a product manager:

1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

It’s important to have a strong foundation in a technical field like computer science, software engineering, information technology, or a related discipline. These programs provide a solid understanding of software development lifecycles, programming languages, and technical concepts. Some companies may also consider degrees in business administration or other fields if paired with relevant experience or certifications.

2. Get Valuable Industry Experience

Look for entry-level roles that provide exposure to product development, such as Associate Product Manager (Technical), Product Owner (Technical), Software Engineer (transitioning to product management), or QA Analyst (with a focus on product requirements). During your experience, focus on gaining an understanding of Agile methodologies, experience working with cross-functional teams, and exposure to user research and data analysis.

3. Pursue Professional Certifications

One way to improve your skills and credibility as a product manager is by pursuing a certification. Opting for a product management course with placement can help you acquire industry-relevant skills through live projects, increasing your chances of finding a suitable job. Pursuing a certification will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of product management, including market research, product development, pricing strategies, and marketing tactics. 

4. Build a Comprehensive Portfolio

Showcase your skills and experience by building a strong portfolio. This could include case studies of products you’ve worked on, the impact you made, mock product roadmaps, or user personas you’ve created. You can also add a data analysis project or presentation to demonstrate your analytical skills. Your portfolio can be a website, an online document, or even a presentation that you can share during your job interviews.

Technical Product Manager Salary Trends

A professional’s salary depends on various factors like qualifications, skills, experience, industry, company, and location. Let’s explore how these factors affect the salary trends for the role of a technical product manager: 

• Average Salary: The average salary of a technical product manager ranges from ₹17.5 LPA to ₹21.5 LPA.

• Highest Salary: The highest salary of a technical product manager ranges from ₹33.4 LPA to ₹37.4 LPA.

• Based on Experience: The salary for a technical product manager fresher is ₹5.0 LPA to ₹8.5 LPA, a mid-level professional is ₹14.7 LPA to ₹18.0 LPA, and an experienced professional is ₹27.7 LPA to ₹30.9 LPA. 

• Based on Location: The salary of a technical product manager in Bangalore is ₹22.5 LPA to ₹26.0. Hyderabad offers ₹21.0 LPA to ₹23.4, and Pune offers ₹16.7 LPA to ₹22.0 to technical product managers.

• Based on Industry: The salary for a technical product manager in internet services is ₹27.0 LPA to ₹31.6 LPA, in software products is ₹25.4 LPA to ₹30.3 LPA, and in telecom is ₹23.2 LPA to ₹27.6 LPA.

• Based on Company: A technical product manager earns ₹22.0 LPA to ₹49.0 in Visa, ₹17 LPA to ₹30 in Bharti Airtel, and ₹27.9 LPA to ₹43.7 in Apple. 

Conclusion

A technical product manager is an exciting and dynamic role that requires a broad range of skills and expertise. They play a crucial role in turning a product vision into reality, by bringing together engineering, design, and business acumen. With a rapidly growing demand for TPMs in the technology industry, it is an excellent time to pursue a career in this field.