The Evolution of Product Management

The origins of Product Management were back in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that it started to become popular. That popularity grew towards the end of the 20th Century and has continued to gather pace right up to the present day.

The early days

The origins of the modern Product Management role are said to come from a memo written by Neil H. McElroy at Procter & Gamble in 1931. Moving towards the 1960s, the role became more popular but was more in line with a modern-day Brand Manager and as such, part of the Marketing Department.

The advent of the internet

With the arrival of the internet in the 1990s came the opportunity to promote products on a new platform. The importance of a Product Manager grew and companies that made the most of this saw phenomenal sales growth as they focused on branding but still the Product function was an extension of the marketing team.

The digital evolution

During the first decade of the 21st Century, with the launch of Agile, Product Management evolved into much more than a marketing role. It began to encompass the development teams who were now collaborating with the Product function to deliver the users required. The variety of roles also grew with the emergence of Product Owner and Head of Product (or variations thereof) roles which led to the growth of Product teams.

Growing in popularity

As digitalisation has gathered pace, so has the importance of Product roles. Initially, within a start-up particularly, the CEO can take on the role of Product champion. However, as the business grows so does the importance of a Product Manager. Within more established businesses, some roles naturally evolve with a Product focus and there is the beginning of the company’s Product team.

Also, the Product function has seen the focus move to a customer centric approach. In the past this would have been viewed as something for the Marketing department, whereas now it is important across the company.

What does the future hold?

Very little is certain about the future but one thing I am sure is that we will see the continued importance of the Product team. As digital transformation continues having a Product champion who understands both internal and external requirements will be vital.

Please click the link to view more LinkedIn articles I have written on Product Management.

Redimeer is a specialist technology recruitment company, for more information about product roles or hiring people for your team, please contact me directly [email protected] or 07458 301 658