In every instance where I have been a part of building a successful firm, the product managers were the difference makers. Their ability to translate customer input and insights into products that solved problems for our customers, propelled our success.
在我所参与创建的每一个成功的公司，产品经理总是那些影响最终结果的人。他们把客户的需求转化为解决客户问题的产品，推动了我们公司的成功。 

A Challenging and Valuable Role:
一个具有挑战性和有价值的角色： 

The challenging role of product manager is  increasingly sought after by professionals looking to gain broad organizational exposure and management experience. The product manager's responsibilities span the entire organization and extend into the marketplace typically focusing on one or more industry and customer groups. 
产品经理的具有挑战性的作用越来越受到想获得广泛的组织风险管理经验的专业人士的追捧。产品经理的职责跨越整个组织，并延伸到市场上，通常专注于一个或多个行业和客户群体。 

Product Managers work to understand the needs and challenges of their targeted customers and to translate those insights into ideas for investment and new product development or existing product enhancement. They create the business cases or plans for investment ideas and when these are approved by management, they work closely with engineering or research and development teams to identify requirements and support the process of translating an idea into a new product.
产品经理的工作就是了解目标客户的需求，用于投资新产品的开发或对现有产品进行改进，并制作成商业案例或投资计划，经管理层批准后，他们与工程和开发团队密切合作，明确需求和支持将想法转化为新产品的整个过程。 

Once a product has moved through the development phases, the product manager works to help prepare the organization to market, sell and support the offering. 
一旦一个产品已经进入开发阶段，产品经理的工作就是帮助准备组织市场和销售产品。 

During the product's life, the product manager is involved in monitoring performance, recommending adjustments to pricing or promotion to counter competitor responses and working with customers to identify potential enhancements. Eventually, the product manager plans a replacement product while managing the discontinuation of the older offering. 
在产品的生命周期中，产品经理参与了监控，调整定价或升级以应对竞争对手的反应，和客户沟通确定潜在的增强功能。最终，产品经理计划了一个升级产品，同时管理旧产品的中止。 

Product Managers become subject matter experts in their markets and technologies and are often called upon to meet with customers or prospects and speak at industry events or contribute to relevant publications.
 
产品经理成为他们的市场和技术的行业专家，经常会见客户或潜在客户，在行业活动上发表演说或为相关刊物撰稿。
 

And they do all of this by guiding, engaging with and leading individuals and functions across their organization, often with no more formal authority than their ability to persuade others to back their ideas.
他们通过引导参与并主导跨组织的个体和组织做到这一切，通常是非正式授权的方式说服别人接受他们的想法。 

This is a challenging, demanding job and one that is increasingly sought after by new college and MBA graduates. Serving as a product manager offers an opportunity to gain high visibility in the organization and to cultivate the skills and reputation necessary to advance in future general management roles.
这是一个具有挑战性的，要求高的工作，受到越来越多的新的学院和工商管理硕士毕业生的追捧。作为一个产品经理拥有了可以在组织中获得高的知名度，并培养必要的技能和声誉，以促进未来的职业发展的机会。 

The Evolving Role of Product Manager:
产品经理角色的演变： 

The classical role of product manager originated within consumer products companies such as Procter & Gamble or Unilever, where these product or category champions served as CEOs of their offerings. From market research to product development, packaging, promotion and selling, these individuals managed their offerings for growth and profits.
产品经理的经典作用起源于宝洁公司或联合利华等消费类产品公司，这些产品的冠军作为他们产品的首席执行官。从市场研究到产品开发、包装、促销和销售，这些人管理他们的产品的增长和利润。 

Over time, practically every industry sector has adopted some form of the role of product manager. Even service-focused firms rely upon a version of the product manager role to translate customer needs and market insights into new services offerings.
随着时间的推移，几乎每一个行业部门都采取了某种形式的产品经理的角色。即使专注于服务的公司依靠产品经理的角色，将客户的需求和市场的见解转化为新的服务产品。 

In a number of markets, the role has been split into two, including the product manager and product marketing manager. The product marketing manager focuses more on the outbound marketing and coordination, while the product manager tends to focus a majority of his or her efforts on internal coordination, particularly with the firm’s research and development or engineering teams. In this split role situation, the two parties work closely together to ensure consistency and coordination across stakeholder groups.
在多个市场中，角色被分成了两个，包括产品经理和产品营销经理。产品营销经理更多的关注于对外的营销和协调，而产品经理往往把大部分的精力集中在内部协调上，特别是与公司的研究和开发或工程团队合作。在这种分裂的角色情况下，双方紧密合作，以确保利益相关者群体的一致性和协调性。 

Not a Project Manager!
不是项目经理！ 

While there is a great deal of cross group coordination involved in carrying out the role of product manager, the job should not be confused with that of the project manager. The project manager is responsible for coordinating and guiding teams working on temporary and unique initiatives, while the product manager approaches his/her offerings from a business case and management perspective.
虽然在执行产品经理的角色中涉及到大量的跨组织协调，但工作不应该与项目经理的工作相混淆。项目经理负责协调和指导团队的临时和独特的工作，而产品经理更接近于从他/她的产品的业务案例和管理的角度来指导工作。

The project manager has the benefit of well defined industry standards and certifying practices, while the role of product manager is considerably less formalized on an industry basis. There are a number of firms involved in training product managers, but as of this writing, there is no standardized body of knowledge or certifying body, such as those that exist in the field of project management. It is common for both individuals—the product manager and the project manager—to work together on a new product development or product enhancement initiative.
项目经理有良好定义的行业标准和认证，而产品经理缺少正式的行业基础。有一些公司参与培训产品经理，但是就像这里写的，没有那些存在于项目管理领域的标准化知识或认证机构。这是常见产品经理和项目经理在一起为一个新的产品开发或迭代计划工作。

Skills Required for Success as a Product Manager:
作为一个成功的产品经理所需的技能：

Given the broad scope of the role of product manager, there are a number skill sets essential for success. These include:
鉴于产品经理角色的广泛定义，有些核心技能对于成功至关重要。包括：

The ability to cultivate a deep understanding of a particular market segment or customer grouping.

Familiarity with the specific application of the products in customer settings.Curiosity to explore and identify customer challenges and translate those challenges into product or service ideas.

培养对特定细分市场或客户群的深刻理解的能力。

熟悉产品在客户场景中的具体应用。

对挖掘客户的需求充满好奇心，并将这些需求转化为产品或服务的想法。

The ability to guide and lead others informally—without formal report-to authority.

Outstanding written and spoken communication skills, with emphasis on persuasion skills.

Depending upon the nature of the offering, a deep level of technical expertise may be required in the role. Many product managers have technical backgrounds, including engineering degrees.

具有很好的领导力。

优秀的书面和口头沟通技巧，注重说服技巧。

根据产品的性质，深层次的技术专长可能需要的作用。许多产品经理都有技术背景，包括工程学位。

Career Path Into Product Management:

产品管理的职业生涯路径：

Product managers come from all manner of backgrounds, including:

产品经理来自不同的背景，包括：

Engineering, Research & Development

工程研究

Quality or Operations Management

质量或运营管理

Technical Support

技术性支持

Marketing Communications

市场开发宣传

Customer Support

客户支持

Sales Support

销售支持

Additionally, some firms hire individuals directly from firms in the target market segment. There are many paths into this interesting and important role.
此外，一些公司直接从公司的目标市场部门招聘，还有许多其他的途径可以进入这个有趣而且重要的职业。

Career Path for Product Managers:

产品经理的职业生涯路径：

While product managers can advance within their own functions or departments, it is common for experienced product managers to advance into general management or functional management roles. I have personally promoted product managers into sales, marketing and other general management positions. Their broad-base of industry, offering and operations knowledge make them highly desirable for a number of roles in an organization. 
虽然产品经理可在自己的职能或部门里提升，有经验的产品管理人员进入到综合管理或职能部门管理的角色也是很常见的。我个人将产品经理推荐到销售、市场和其他一般管理职位。他们广泛的行业基础，支持和运营知识使他们很适合一个组织中很多职能。

The Bottom-line for Now:
写在最后的：

A career in product management is rich in challenges and opportunities to learn and to contribute to the success of an organization. The role is part entrepreneurial and part general management, and individuals who prefer to operate with a high degree of responsibility and independence enjoy working in this position a great deal. There are few roles in our modern workplace that rival the opportunity the product manager has to shape the future success of an organization. 
在产品管理的职业生涯中充满丰富的挑战和机会去学习，有助于机构的事业成功 ，他们既需要扮演着创业者，也需要充当着管理者的角色，是具有高度的责任感和独立性快乐的工作。在我们的现代工作场所很少有角色可以竞争到这样的机会像产品经理一样可以塑造一个组织成功的未来。