Self-test: Is the "Product Manager" course the right one for me?

What does the day-to-day work of product managers look like?

Product managers work in companies and organizations that manufacture and sell products or offer services.Your task is to manage products or product groups and place them successfully on the market. They achieve this with product concepts and product marketing and with the constant analysis and optimization of products. They are in contact with various areas of the company, such as product development, management and marketing/sales, as well as with customers.

The strategicResponsibilityfor the product groupscovers the entire product life cyclefrom planning and production through to marketing and the discontinuation of products. In order to be able to offer optimal product groups,orient themselvesProduct Manageron the market, on customer needs, on production and purchasing costs and on sales and profit figures.

For market and product analysis, Product Management collects information about the market situation and trends, buyer behavior and competitor products. From this, they work with the development department, sales and marketing to identify trends for new product lines. Or they define the need for improvement and renewal of existing products.

During the conception and planning phase, Product Managers often take over the project management, ensure that everyone involved is well informed and monitor the progress of the work. Together with the marketing department and controlling, they decide the prices and conditions at which the new or updated products should be offered on the market. It is then necessary to reposition the new products on the market, create marketing concepts and monitor the market launch.

Who is continuing education, further training in product management aimed at? What qualities and skills do you need?

Target groups:

• People who make product range and product decisions, such as members of the management, product managers, project managers
• Experts from sales, marketing and communication

To be successful as a product manager, you need the following qualities and skills:

• Organizational skills
• Communication and negotiation skills
• Leadership competence
• Initiative and assertiveness
• Good knowledge of business administration, finance and accounting

Requirements for admission to product management training courses

The admission requirements are different.

Private education providersoften require

• Federal Diploma of Vocational Education and Training, commercial secondary school, higher vocational education qualification or university degree
• Several years of relevant professional experience

Universities and Universities of Applied Sciencesgenerally require the following for admission to their product management training courses

• a university degree or a higher vocational education qualification and relevant professional experience
• They often also offer the possibility of being admitted by submitting personal documents (so-called "sur dossier").

Contents of continuing education, further training

Continuing education, further training in product management is not regulated. The training providers are free to design the course form and content as they wish. In principletwo types of offerdifferentiate:

• Shorter continuing education, further training(seminars, intensive courses, etc.) fromprivate providers
• Courses lasting one or more semestersmainly fromUniversities,but also from private providers.

Typical contentsof the product manager training program:

• Product life cycle and strategic product planning
• Operational product management, product development and innovation
• Market research, market and competition analysis
• Marketing mix and pricing strategy, budgeting and product costing
• Opening up new business opportunities

Some training courses also teach general knowledge and skills such as project management and agile methods, communication and presentation as well as economics and business administration.

Costs of continuing education, further training

The costs depend on the scope of the product management training and the training provider. They vary greatly.

The following information is therefore only intended as a rough guide:

• Seminars, shorter courses, intensive courses: CHF 1500-4000
• CAS private providers: CHF 3500-9000
• CAS Universities: CHF 8000-12'000

Duration and scope

You need to take a look at the specific courses on offer to determine the duration and scope of product manager training. In general, it can be said that

• CAS courses5-9 months. Universities credit CAS with 10-15 ECTS points, which means a learning and performance effort of approx. 100-150 hours.
• Intensive courses and seminarsare often in the order of 2-5 days.

Degree, diploma and title

Training courses in product management are not regulated.

Conclusion:

The schools are free to design the training courses and are also free to determine which achievements are required to obtain the school's own diploma or certificate. In some cases, attendance is sufficient and you will receive a certificate of attendance, while in others you must successfully complete a final performance (examination, project work, etc.) to receive the certificate.

Title:

Schools are also free to design their own titles.