The Product Manager's Toolbox: Essential Tools
As a product manager, you're the captain of the ship, steering your product towards success. To navigate the choppy waters of the product development lifecycle, you need a robust toolkit. This toolkit includes software that will equip you to make informed decisions, collaborate effectively, and deliver exceptional products.
Essential Software Tools
Before we deep dive into the tools it is important to note that there can be overlap of features across the tools listed below. When I am considering which tools to use, given my limited budget, I like to find tools that can be used across teams and have a rich feature set. I prefer not to use tools that only serve one purpose unless it is unavoidable.
Project Management Tools: While we know that Project and Product Management are not the same thing, bringing a Product to market is very much like a project that needs careful time, scope, and resource planning. So Project Management tools can help you plan, track, and manage the progress of your product development projects. Popular options include Asana, Monday.com, Trello, and Jira. My personal favourite is to use Monday.com. Let’s do a deep into two go-to tools that I can’t live without.
Monday.com
I have used Monday.com as Work OS across the organisations I work in.
Monday.com is a cloud-based platform designed to help teams manage projects, workflows, and everyday tasks. It goes beyond a simple project management tool and positions itself as a complete Work OS (Work Operating System). Key Features include:
Customization: It allows users to create custom applications and workflows to fit their specific needs. This is in contrast to traditional project management tools that have predefined features.
Flexibility: Monday.com offers a variety of building blocks like apps, integrations, and customizable boards to cater to different industries and teams.
Industry-Specific Products: While the core platform offers flexibility, Monday.com also offers industry-specific products built on top of the Work OS. These cater to different needs like Sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or product management.
Monday.com has a host of ready-made templates for Project Managers. These include Roadmap Planning. Feature backlog, Sprint Management, Retrospective, Bug Tracking, Go-to-Market Planning, Release Planning. Monday helps to bring all the teams together into one Work OS space simplifying communication and keeping everyone on track. It also means that you can leverage existing licenses for your Product Management Team.
Monday.com uses a visual interface with boards and cards to represent tasks and projects.
This allows for easy tracking of progress and collaboration.
Jira
I have used Jira in every one of my Product Management roles.
Jira is a popular project management and issue tracking tool primarily used by software development teams. It's designed to help teams plan, track, and manage their work, from small tasks to large projects. Key features include:
Issue Tracking: Allows teams to create, assign, and track issues or tasks throughout their development lifecycle.
Kanban Boards: Provides a visual representation of the workflow, helping teams see the status of tasks at a glance.
Scrum Boards: Supports agile development methodologies like Scrum, with features like sprints, backlogs, and burndown charts.
Customizable Workflows: Allows teams to create custom workflows that match their specific processes.
Reporting and Analytics: Provides various reports and metrics to track progress, identify bottlenecks, and measure team performance.
Integrations: Integrates with other tools like Git, Bitbucket, and Trello to streamline workflows.
Jira is the ultimate tool for Agile Product Development. It was designed for Agile Sprint and Kanban techniques. Most developers will have used Jira at some stage in their career and it what they have come to expect for development tasks, backlog refinement, Sprint planning, Retros and roadmap planning. Licenses are required for Product and Engineering Teams.
Product Management Tools: Specifically designed for product managers, these tools offer features like roadmapping, backlog management, and user story mapping. Examples include Productboard, Aha! Roadmapping, Confluence and Miro.
Confluence
Confluence is my go-to knowledge management tool for Product Management.
Confluence is a collaborative workspace platform that allows teams to create, organize, and share knowledge. It's often used in conjunction with Jira, another Atlassian product, to provide a comprehensive solution for project management and knowledge sharing. Key Features include:
Wiki-style pages: Allows teams to create and edit pages collaboratively, making it easy to document processes, share information, and create knowledge bases.
Page templates: Provides pre-designed templates for various types of content, such as meeting notes, project plans, and knowledge articles.
Spaces: Organizes content into spaces, making it easier to manage and find relevant information.
Attachments: Allows users to attach files, images, and other documents to pages.
Comments and discussions: Enables teams to discuss and comment on pages, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Integrations: Integrates with other Atlassian products like Jira, Bitbucket, and Trello, as well as third-party applications.
Confluence has built-in templates for drafting Product Requirements, documenting Design Sprints, writing up notes from Technical Discovery or Customer Interviews. With great templates and exceptional search capabilities, everyone in the organisation with be able to find and share product information. With tight integration with Jira, you can link your development tickets to the Product Requirements making it faster and easier for developers.
Miro
The flexibility of Miro is why I always invest into this tool. It is great workspace for workshops like Design Sprints, Discover Sessions or basic brainstorming.
Miro is a visual collaboration platform that helps teams work together more effectively. It's designed to facilitate brainstorming, planning, and problem-solving by providing a digital whiteboard where users can add notes, sketches, diagrams, and other visual elements. Key Features include:
nfinite canvas: A large, virtual whiteboard where teams can work together in real-time.
Pre-built templates: Templates for various activities like brainstorming, mind mapping, and project planning.
Sticky notes: Allows users to add notes and ideas to the board.
Drawing tools: Enables users to draw diagrams, sketches, and other visuals.
Integration with other tools: Integrates with popular tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Jira.
What I love about investing into Miro is that you can use within and outside of Product Management. I often use it for Wireframing UI designs instead of needing to learn another tool.
Design Tools: For collaborating with designers and visualizing your product's interface, tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch are invaluable. I have worked with each of these tools over my career depending on which UI designer I have been working with. As a product manager I love that all of these tools allow me to view and interact with the UI designs prior to development. With built-in collaboration tools, I can easily comment on the UI design and see when the designers comment back.
Figma
Figma is a cloud-based vector graphics editor and prototyping tool primarily used for designing user interfaces. It's designed to facilitate collaboration among designers, developers, and other stakeholders. Key features include:
Vector graphics: Allows users to create and edit vector graphics, which scale without losing quality.
Prototyping: Enables users to create interactive prototypes of their designs, allowing them to test and iterate on their ideas.
Collaboration: Facilitates real-time collaboration among multiple users, making it easy for teams to work together on projects.
Design systems: Supports the creation and management of design systems, ensuring consistency and efficiency in design workflows.
Plugins: Offers a wide range of plugins to extend Figma's functionality and integrate with other tools.
We are currently using Figma for our web front end UI design because of it’s tight integration with downstream development tools.
Adobe XD
Adobe XD is a vector-based design tool primarily used for creating user interfaces (UIs) and user experiences (UX). It's part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and is designed to streamline the design workflow from wireframing to prototyping. Key features include:
Vector graphics: Allows users to create and edit vector graphics, which scale without losing quality.
Prototyping: Enables users to create interactive prototypes of their designs, allowing them to test and iterate on their ideas.
Collaboration: Facilitates real-time collaboration among multiple users, making it easy for teams to work together on projects.
Design systems: Supports the creation and management of design systems, ensuring consistency and efficiency in design workflows.
Plugins: Offers a wide range of plugins to extend Figma's functionality and integrate with other tools.
Adobe XD makes total sense if you have already invested in the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite of products. Adobe XD is excellent for fast prototyping and integrating UI design notes for the developers right next to the design.
Analytics Tools: To track user behavior, measure product performance, and make data-driven decisions, consider tools like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Amplitude.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free web analytics service that provides insights into website traffic and user behavior. It helps businesses understand how visitors interact with their website, track conversions, and measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Key features include:
Real-time analytics: Provides real-time data on website traffic, allowing businesses to monitor activity as it happens.
Audience insights: Provides detailed information about website visitors, including demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Acquisition data: Tracks how visitors find your website, including through search engines, social media, and direct traffic.
Behavior data: Analyzes how visitors interact with your website, including pages viewed, time on site, and bounce rate.
Conversion tracking: Measures the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns by tracking conversions (e.g., purchases, sign-ups).
Custom reports: Allows you to create custom reports to analyze specific data points.
Integrations: Integrates with other Google products like Google Ads, Search Console, and Data Studio.
This tools is a must if your product is web based.
Mixpanel
This is my all-time favourite product analytics tool that I have used in my last two roles to give me incredible insights into how our customers are using our software.
Mixpanel is a product analytics platform that helps businesses understand how users interact with their products. It provides detailed insights into user behavior, allowing companies to track key metrics, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Key features include:
vent tracking: Allows you to track specific user actions or events within your product, such as button clicks, page views, or purchases.
Funnels: Visualizes user journeys through your product, helping you identify drop-off points and optimize the user experience.
Cohorts: Allows you to analyze the behavior of specific groups of users, such as new users or customers who have made a purchase.
Segmentation: Enables you to segment your user base based on various criteria, such as demographics, behavior, or location.
Retention analysis: Tracks user retention over time, helping you measure customer loyalty and identify churn.
A/B testing: Allows you to test different versions of your product or features to see which performs better.
Integrations: Integrates with other tools like Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Segment.
Communication and Collaboration Tools: Effective communication is key in product management. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Chat, and Zoom facilitate collaboration and keep everyone aligned.
I have used all these collaboration tools across my career and I have to say that they are all great. It really comes down to is your organisation a Microsoft or Google house. If you have invested in Microsoft it makes sense to use Microsoft Teams. If you use Google Workspace then Google Chat and or Slack makes the most sense. If you use Zoom as your Video Conferencing platform you may be using Zoom for a host of features because their platform is expanding to become more like a Work OS. These tools are better than conventional email and speed up team communication. These tools should be used across the organisation and not kept siloed to Product Management.
Slack
Slack is a popular team communication and collaboration platform that helps teams communicate and work together more effectively. It's designed to replace email and other traditional communication methods with a more streamlined and organized approach. Key features include:
Channels: Organizes conversations into channels based on topics or projects.
Direct messages: Allows for one-on-one or group conversations.
File sharing: Enables users to share files and documents directly within Slack.
Integrations: Connects with other popular tools like Google Drive, Trello, and Asana.
Search functionality: Allows users to search for messages, files, and channels.
Thread replies: Enables users to reply to specific messages within a conversation, keeping conversations organized.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based collaboration platform that brings together chat, meetings, calls, and files into a single workspace. It's part of the Microsoft 365 suite and is designed to help teams work together more effectively. Key features include:
Chat: Allows for real-time text-based communication, both in one-on-one conversations and group chats.
Meetings: Enables teams to schedule and conduct video and audio conferences.
Calling: Provides VoIP calling capabilities, allowing users to make and receive calls directly from within Teams.
Files: Offers a centralized location for storing and sharing files, with integration with OneDrive and SharePoint.
Channels: Organizes conversations into channels based on topics or projects.
Apps: Integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, such as Trello, Asana, and Zoom.
Tasks: Allows teams to create and manage tasks directly within Teams.
AI Tools: AI tools are now an integral part of Product Management and my product teams use AI everyday to make them more productive and creative. When I mention AI here I mean generative AI and for this post I will be focusing on the mainstream LLM’s ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Co-pilot. I use personally these three tools everyday and I am lucky to have access to all three. Again the decision on the right one to use will depend to some extent if you are a Microsoft or Google house. We have found despite being a Mircosoft house that ChatGPT is producing better results. For this website I use Gemini extensively. In all case please make sure you have have a paid subscription to ensure that your data is not feeding the model and your IP is protected.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a large language model developed by OpenAI. It's designed to interact with users in a conversational way, providing information and completing tasks as instructed. Think of it as a virtual assistant or chatbot that can communicate and generate human-like text. Key features include:
Conversational ability: It can engage in conversations on a wide range of topics, providing informative and comprehensive responses.
Generative capabilities: It can generate creative text formats, such as poems, code, scripts, musical pieces, email, letters, etc.
Learning from interactions: ChatGPT learns from the conversations it has, improving its responses over time.
Ability to follow instructions: It can follow specific instructions and complete tasks as requested.
Gemini
Gemini is a large language model developed by Google AI. It's designed to interact with users in a conversational way, providing information and completing tasks as instructed. Think of it as a more advanced version of ChatGPT, with improved capabilities and a broader range of applications. Key features include:
Enhanced understanding: Gemini is able to understand and respond to complex prompts and questions more effectively than previous models.
Multimodal capabilities: It can process and generate text, code, images, and audio, making it more versatile and adaptable to different tasks.
Real-world knowledge: Gemini is trained on a massive dataset of text and code, giving it a deep understanding of the real world.
Ethical considerations: Google has taken steps to ensure that Gemini is developed and used in an ethical and responsible manner.
New product management tools come out all the time. The ones above are the ones I have relied on to deliver multi-million products to market. Keen to learn more about how to select the right product management tools for your business read this post.
I would love to hear about new tools you have discovered that are delivering value for your business. Reach out to me here.