- Any Questions?
- 080-4710-6006
- [email protected]
Becoming a Group Product Manager is an important career step for many product managers who want to lead at a higher level. As companies expand their product lines, the need for someone to oversee multiple product teams becomes critical. This role requires not just management skills, but also strategic thinking and the ability to guide product managers towards common goals. For anyone looking to move into this role, it’s essential to understand the responsibilities and skills required to become a Group Product Manager and how this differs from a traditional product manager role.
In this blog, we’ll break down what it means to be a Group Product Manager, the key responsibilities involved, and how you can build the necessary skills to take on this leadership position.
A group product manager manages a portfolio of products by overseeing a team of product managers. In contrast to the common product manager responsible for the success of one product or feature, Group Product Managers have more strategy and leadership. He or she therefore ensures that this portfolio of products within that scope meets the company’s higher-level goals and longer-term vision. The Group Product Manager sees to it that everything flows harmoniously, while individual product managers focus on their specific products.
For instance, suppose you have a mobile app portfolio developed by a company. This Group Product Manager would ensure that all of these applications work together and have a consistent user experience, which would achieve the company’s overall business goals. They need not micromanage every app but would advise their product managers that each product must achieve the strategic goals of the parent business.
While both roles are focused on creating and managing successful products, the scope of their work is very different. A product manager handles the day-to-day management of one product, ensuring that everything from development to customer feedback is well-coordinated. They work closely with engineering, marketing, and other teams to deliver a product that meets customer needs.
On the other hand, a group product manager has a broad role in itself. Rather than owning one product, they manage several product managers, each of whom owns their product or feature. The job of the group product manager, then, is to ensure that those varied products are delivering toward strategic company goals. It’s a transition from the detailed work on one product to thinking about how many products might deliver value together.
To give you a sense of this, take an example: a global e-commerce company. A product manager could work on making the checkout experience for users more streamlined and user-friendly. The Group Product Manager could care about how this optimized checkout experience would fit into other initiatives the company had, like mobile shopping, customer loyalty programs, or international expansion. Their role is about looking at the big picture, and ensuring all these efforts are harmonized.
Being a Group Product Manager comes with a range of responsibilities that extend beyond managing individual products. Here are the key duties you would take on in this role:
a. Leadership and Mentorship
A group product manager leads product managers; he or she should mentor and develop them. An ideal job would include providing feedback about the strategy of the product managers, recommending improvements, as well as ensuring that product managers have all the support they need to meet their goals. A strong group product manager is also a role model that sets the standard for what good product management looks like in the company.
b. Strategic Oversight
A good amount of work done by the Group Product Manager is in strategy setting for a group of products. You look through all the goals of your company and ensure that all products under your charge contribute to those company goals. You would be thinking beyond the individual product features while asking questions such as: “How does this product fit into our long-term vision?” and “How can we ensure that all our products complement each other?”
c. Coordinating Across Teams
Group Product Managers typically serve as an intermediary between the product managers and senior management. You will be reporting the progress of products under your team to executives but also carrying up larger company strategy down to your team. Excellent communication skills are necessary so that everyone is kept aligned-from the top of the organization down to individual product managers.
d. Resource Management
Managing resources effectively is crucial in this role. This does not only mean budgeting but also deciding how to allocate people, time, and attention across various product lines. For instance, if one product is at a critical development stage, it may require more resources, such that the Group Product Manager has to prioritize the product for more resources.
A good way to think about resource management is in terms of balancing priorities. At any given time, you might have one product close to launch, another in the early design stages, and a third undergoing testing. It’s the Group Product Manager’s job to ensure that none of these products are neglected and that the team has the resources they need to succeed.
Transitioning to a Group Product Manager requires developing a set of advanced skills that go beyond basic product management. Some of the key skills you’ll need include:
a. Leadership and Mentorship
A good Group Product Manager is not just a manager but a leader. You will need to inspire your product managers so that they can feel help when encountering challenges and make better decisions by offering constructive feedback, being able to recognize their successes, and helping further develop their skills. A good Group Product Manager makes a team confident while at the same time providing all the necessary guidance to keep everything aligned.
b. Strategic Thinking
Now, as a Group Product Manager, you take your team off their tactical tasks and step back to look at the bigger picture. You understand the company’s goals, the market, and the competitive landscape for which all your products will succeed within those constraints. Strategic thinking also relates to long-term planning — knowing what place the company wants to be in the next few years and how the products of your team will help drive that.
c. Communication
A Group Product Manager would need key communication skills. He or she would have to explain his or her vision and strategy to the team but at the same time communicate challenges and updates in front of upper management. He or she should be able to break complex product information into insights that can make sense in multiple layers across different stakeholders, such as engineers, executives, or marketers.
d. Problem-Solving and Decision Making
You’ll inevitably hit roadblocks when managing multiple products and teams. Be it delayed development or a difference in opinion between two teams, your ability to pick up on problems would be crucial to solving them quickly. Another aspect is decision-making; a Group Product Manager will have to make tough calls regularly, especially in scenarios where resources are severely lacking or priorities are shifting.
Moving into a Group Product Manager role requires both experience and preparation. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you transition into this leadership position:
a. Build Strong Product Management Experience
Before becoming a Group Product Manager, it’s important to develop a deep understanding of product management. This includes working on different aspects of the product lifecycle — from ideation to launch and post-launch analysis. Gaining experience in managing a complete product helps build the foundation needed to oversee multiple products in the future.
b. Develop Leadership Skills
The best prep for a Group Product Manager role is mentoring junior product managers; this will give you hands-on experience in the leadership role and show that you are capable enough to guide others. You may not necessarily be in an officially designated Group Product Manager role, but taking on extra responsibilities shows you are ready for the job.
c. Broaden Your Strategic Thinking
Group product managers should think strategically about how the products fit into the broader market and company goals. Start to think beyond your product. Try to understand the company’s entire product portfolio, how your product contributes to overall business goals, and how you can improve its impact.
d. Seek Opportunities for Cross-Product Experience
Where possible, try to get involved in projects that give you exposure to multiple products or features. This can help you understand how different products interact with each other and prepare you for managing multiple products in the future.
When it comes to compensation, Group Product Managers in India tend to earn well, with salaries varying based on experience, company size, and location.
These numbers reflect the growing demand for experienced product leaders in India’s tech and e-commerce industries, where product innovation is a key competitive advantage.
Becoming a Group Product Manager is a great step toward increased accountability and impact for any product management professional. It will require a good balance of leadership, strategic thought, and helping teams across multiple product lines move toward common goals. It’s an enormous ability to make a difference not just in the individual products but even in the general direction of the company.
By building strong product management experience, honing leadership skills, and expanding your understanding of strategic product alignment, you can position yourself for success as a Group Product Manager. It’s a challenging but rewarding role, one that can open doors to higher executive positions and allow you to shape the future of products in your organization.
With the right preparation and mindset, stepping into the role of a Group Product Manager can be a fulfilling and career-defining moment, helping you grow as a leader and a strategic thinker.
On average, it takes about 5 to 10 years of product management experience to move into a Group Product Manager role. The timeline can vary depending on the size of the company and the complexity of its products.
Most Group Product Managers have several years of experience in product management, and many have completed certifications or advanced degrees like an MBA. However, the most critical qualification is hands-on experience managing products.
Common challenges include managing multiple product teams, balancing resources across different products, and aligning the work of product managers with the company’s overall strategy. Handling stakeholder expectations is another key challenge.
Yes, many Group Product Managers eventually move into executive roles like Vice President of Product or Chief Product Officer, especially in large companies that offer opportunities for upward mobility.
While the Group Product Manager role comes with more responsibility and complexity, many find it rewarding because of the impact they can have across multiple products. The role can be more demanding in terms of strategy and leadership, but it also provides a broader view of the company’s product ecosystem.
