Product Management for AI

Chapter 2. Practical Skills for the AI Product Manager

In Chapter 1, we discussed the need for an AI product manager. This role includes everything a traditional PM does, but also requires an operational understanding of machine learning software development along with a realistic view of its capabilities and limitations.

In this chapter, we shift our focus to the AI product manager’s skill set as it is applied to day-to-day work in the design, development, and maintenance of AI products. To understand the skills that product managers need, we’ll start with the process of product development and then consider how this process differs in different kinds of organizations.

The AI Product Pipeline

We’ll start by defining the different phases of AI product development. Although this is not an exhaustive list, most AI products pass through these stages. In some organizations, a separate product manager shepherds the product through each stage. Whether that’s how your organization works, every AI PM must consider how their products relate to these phases. Which stage is the product in currently? What stages will it have to go through before it becomes real, and how will it get there?

Innovation/Ideation/Design for UI/UX

In traditional software engineering projects, product managers are key stakeholders in the activities that influence product and feature innovation. AI is no different. It’s incredibly important to determine what outcome is desired, how that outcome will be delivered, ...