Glossary of terms commonly used in product management30 October 2023

By focusing their efforts on products, and if several conditions are met, companies can improve coordination, stimulate innovation and enrich the customer experience.

Key words around the concept of product-oriented organization require a specific glossary (such as marketing, sales, production, etc.).

1. Product: This can be a good or service that meets a specific market need.

2. Product Owner: This is the person responsible for defining the vision of a product and making the decisions necessary to achieve the objectives defined for the product.

3. Product Team: This is the group of people working on a specific product. It may include developers, designers, marketing specialists, etc.
a. Product Manager (PM): The PM is responsible for defining the product vision, deciding what to build and when. He works closely with the company’s various stakeholders to understand market needs and translate those needs into a product plan.
b. UX/UI designer: The UX/UI designer is responsible for designing the product’s user interface and user experience. He or she works closely with the PM and development team to ensure that the product is both aesthetically appealing and easy to use.

c. Engineers / Developers: Engineers are responsible for building the product itself. They work closely with the PM to understand product requirements and with the Scrum Master to coordinate the development process.

d. Data Analyst: The data analyst helps to understand user behavior and measure product performance by collecting, analyzing and interpreting data.

e. QA Tester (Quality Assurance): The QA tester is responsible for testing the product to ensure that it works as intended and contains no bugs or defects.

f. Product Marketing Manager: This role is responsible for marketing the product. It works closely with the PM to understand the product’s value proposition and create marketing campaigns to attract and retain customers.

g. Customer Success Manager: This role is responsible for ensuring that customers get value from the product and are satisfied. They may also gather customer feedback to help inform future product development decisions.

These roles can vary depending on the size of the company, the type of product and the development methodology used.

4. Product Roadmap: This is a strategic document that defines the direction and plans for a product over a given period.

5. Product backlog: This is a prioritized list of features, tasks and requirements for a product.

6. MVP (Minimum Viable Product): This is a version of the product that has just enough functionality to be usable by customers and to collect feedback.

7. User Story: This is a simple, concise description of a feature as seen by the end user.

8. Features: This is a specific feature of a product that offers a certain value to the user.

9. Release: This is the process of making a new product or feature available to users.

10. Product Lifecycle: This is the lifecycle of a product, typically including the phases of launch, growth, maturity and decline.

11. Product Market Fit: This is the degree to which a product meets the needs and desires of the market.

12. Product-led Growth: This is a business strategy that focuses on the product as the primary driver of customer acquisition, conversion and retention.

13. Product Metrics: These are metrics that help to understand how a product is used, how it performs, and what its value is to the company and to users.

14. Product KPIs: These are key performance indicators that help measure a product’s success.

15. Product debt: This is a metaphor that describes the long-term consequences of making poor product development decisions.

And to make an overture to product data, which can be considered assets

16. Data Mesh: This is a new paradigm for enterprise-wide data management, where responsibility for data quality, governance and accessibility is decentralized and assigned to individual product teams.

17. Data Product: In the context of the Data Mesh, a data product is an organized set of data that is managed, enhanced and used as a product by a specific team.

18. Data Product Manager: This is the person responsible for defining, creating and enhancing data products. He/she works closely with the data product team to ensure data quality and value.

19. Data Domain: This is a specific area of the business that is defined and managed as a separate entity within a Data Mesh. Each domain has its own data products.

20. Data Operations (DataOps): This is an agile methodology for developing and maintaining data systems that emphasizes communication, collaboration, integration and automation.

21. Data Infrastructure as a Product: This is an approach where data infrastructure is managed as a product, with a dedicated team responsible for its creation, enhancement and maintenance.