How to Become a Product Development Manager

In the world of business and marketing, the product development manager is responsible for seeing that the company's products do not become outdated or unmarketable. By working with a team of product designers and marketing professional, the product development manager coordinates the drive to create new products based on market analysis and strategy. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

• Internship (optional)
• BA or BS in business, marketing or related field

Instructions

Become a Product Development Manager

1. Pursue an education in business, marketing or a field related to the product you will be developing. A bachelor's degree is the minimum level of education expected of a product development manager and should include course work in areas as diverse as human psychology and art and design.

2. Pick elective course work related to the products you wish to design. If you are interested in working as a product development manager within the IT industry, it may be a good idea to use your elective course work to increase your knowledge of current technology in this growing sector.

3. Make the most of your business course work by focusing on product analysis and defense. As a product development manager, you will need to back up your argument for a new product with in-depth market data, as well as a solid business plan for implementation.

4. Communicate effectively with your team as a product development manager by participating in team exercises as part of your undergraduate course work. You should volunteer to be your team's project manager whenever possible so you can develop communication skills and clearly convey your ideas to the rest of the team.

5. Get experience in product development by pursuing an internship within your field of specialization. For example, if you are interested in becoming a product development manager in the field of high-performance sports shoes, seek out opportunities that will match you with designers and marketing professionals within this sector.

6. Become an expert in how people will react to a new product by studying consumer psychology and other marketing concepts. This can be incorporated into your undergraduate course work, or you may wish to gain on-the-job experience through work as a marketing professional or sales associate.

Tips & Warnings

• Though a product development manager is technically part of the marketing aspect of any business, this career also crosses over into the area of product design. Because of this, course work in graphic and three-dimensional design is highly recommended.