Product Manager Role at Apple
Apple provides Product Managers with an extraordinary environment that allows them to excel in their duties. Developing phenomenal and impactful products that serve the masses, PMs at Apple play a key role in ensuring customers get the best products, services and customer experiences. Product Managers work closely with engineering as well as other cross-functional teams to design the strategic elements of all Apple’s offerings. Working as a PM at Apple requires skills on how to become innovative as well as initiate, coordinate and review key product development milestones with all the major stakeholders.
Product managers also create and deliver formal presentations as well as engage with diverse partners. The goal of a PM at Apple is to own the entire process driving the product journey from discovery all the way to support while ensuring an optimal outcome is achieved for both products and customers. Depending on the role, Apple Product Managers maintain a top-down, holistic approach to the mission.
Apple PMs are expected to handle complex issues and decisions as well as have a futuristic approach while staying updated on current industry trends and influences. Design at Apple is a key function for Apple PMs who have to constantly design products that customers enjoy using. Product Managers at Apple are heavily involved in the product development framework which is used to develop each product from the tech giant.
What Does an Apple Product Manager Do?
Coordinate Building of New Products
Every product begins its journey with design and everyone involved in the design process is held in high esteem as the success of the company is highly dependent on the caliber of products designed. PMs including designers have a good budget which is used to design powerful products and prototypes. The Industrial Design studio hosts all the development processes and only a few Apple employees have access to the site. All company products are developed here where smaller product development teams are later selected and tasked with the product management process. A team working on designing a product led by a Product Manager almost works an independent company/startup.
Apple Product Managers are expected to be creative solution seekers, able to simplify complex problems and analyze major issues down to their core. PMs are expected to consistently solve problems, have a deep interest to learn and dig deeper into various domains when required. Apple Product Managers advocate for quality and best industry practices while working in a scale and futuristic environment that continuously seeks to position Apple products at the top. PMs coordinate prioritization, design, implementation as well as rollout of new products.
Collaboration with Executive Teams
Startup teams led by the Product Manager often report to executive teams but don’t have to work with marketing, finance and support departments. The Apple New Product Process (ANPP) is a document prepared by the PM that details the roadmap and each step of the development process. ANPP outlines details of which tasks should be handled at which stage, the deliverables and task timelines.
Review Monday is a special day at Apple for PMs and their teams as the executive evaluates all products that Apple is currently developing. When products don’t get reviewed, they’re rolled over to the next Monday. This ensures products get reviewed as quickly as possible allowing space for new product ideas to be generated.
Lead in Creating “Rules of the Road”
At Apple, PMs oversee the building and re-building of products especially in cases where products are leaked before their intended launches. The action plan of how a product is built and designed is referred to as “Rules of the Road”, a highly secretive document that explains in detail every milestone of a product development; from the start to end of the process. Each Milestone has a DRI – Directly Responsible Individual who is tasked with the duty of accomplishing the milestone. Each DRI is required to pay close attention to their duties to ensure a successful outcome.
Apple has a well-laid out and unique product development process that every Product Manager working at the tech firm is expected to be familiar with. As a result of developing products with precision, Apple is known for its exceptional quality products designed for clients who’re willing to spend more money on a good product. Being a Product Manager in Apple makes is an exciting yet very dynamic role aimed at producing top notch products. Thanks to the well-defined product development processes, Apple products have a large following and their product releases are always successful.
