Product managers typically have job descriptions listing their duties and responsibilities. These itemized lists identify the requirements of the job and are used to measure the product managers' success. They provide the what of the job, but they don't always include the how. ( Gorchels, 2003, p1) The objectives of the research was: - To determine best practices for product managers to perform their roles in the pharmaceutical industry - To evaluate current beliefs and practices of product managers regarding their roles and responsibilities in the pharmaceutical industry. - To establish ways to improve poor practices and provide guidance to product managers in the pharmaceutical industry. The study was conducted amongst product managers in a leading pharmaceutical company. The findings indicated that there some problems were experienced in the company .It was also evident that while there were some good practices in the division, poor methods of practice were also being conducted by the product managers. Implementing the recommendations proposed may enable the product managers to successfully perform their relevant roles and effectively execute their responsibilities within the pharmaceutical industry. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

Business success in software industry is about deploying a product to the right market, with the right features, in the right time with a good quality. Many development projects exceed the budget, is not completed within schedule or do not reach business objectives. One key role managing the business of the product is the software product manager. The software product manager role is though seldom clearly described, competence needed is not always clear and education to become a product manager is today only offered by separate courses provided by some few private initiatives. This thesis uses a qualitative descriptive approach, the purpose with this thesis is to produce further knowledge around the software product manager role. The clarification and structure of the software product manager role is limited in academia; therefore, this research will be combined with an exploratory approach to be able to verify the empirical findings. The thesis also includes observations and data collection from actual job applications to further define the requested competences of a software product manager. This thesis has found that domain competence is the top most important competence for a software product manager. To be able to make success in the role communication skills and analytic skills are most important. The right soft skills are as important as the educated competences. The thesis conclude that the product manager role is wide and it is important to be surrounded with colleagues that support the role were there are lacking of competence in technology, business or market expertise. A successful product manager build network among people, cross-functional teams, around the product and establish an effective way to communicate with those groups. Findings suggest that software companies define the responsibilities and expectations of the product manager role. As important is to support the product manager with the input data needed to be able to perform the product manager activities. By defining the responsibilities and securing the input data needed, the product manager will have a higher probability to produce a result with an impact.

台灣自1980年起，政府積極推動資訊電子產業發展，而在發展過程中，最初以OEM、ODM代工為主要的業務型態，藉由低成本、高品質的製造優勢，大量承接國際資訊大廠的外包業務，發展出具有產業影響力的競爭優勢，成為全球資訊產品重要供應商。然而，近年受到全球化、區域經濟整合以及中國與印度等新興國家崛起等因素，台灣的代工業獲利空間面臨嚴重威脅；此外，高科技產品生命週期縮短、全球進入「超競爭」的經營環境，使台灣的代工製造業進入「微利」時代。誠如宏碁集團創辦人施振榮先生提出的「微笑曲線」概念，若能邁向附加價值高的「自有品牌」(OBM)，則可擺脫OEM、ODM代工微薄利潤的狀況。 然而，掌握「品牌」不只是技術能力的問題，而是一種感覺的掌握、對生活的理解。在企業中，要將抽象的顧客需求化為實際的產品上市，則需要重要的推手—「產品經理」，從最初的產品構想、協調及管理產品的開發，及產品開發完成後之上市等活動，過程當中皆需要產品經理的投入。 OBM廠商之產品開發流程與OEM/ODM廠商最大之差異在於：OEM/ODM廠商的產品經理主要職責係依據客戶訂單控管產品開發的時程；而OBM廠商在新產品開發過程中，則需自行負責新產品開發前端之概念形成、規格制訂階段，及新產品上市後之行銷推廣階段；其客戶已不再僅限於下訂單的大廠，而必須面對終端的消費者市場，也必須自行承擔產品之成敗。因此，如何將顧客需求（Customer Needs）轉換為產品規格，以開發出成功的新產品，更是產品經理所需面對的課題。此外，新產品開發後，如何建立銷售管道，使產品成功上市，亦是OBM廠商的產品經理所要面臨的挑戰。本研究著重於探討OBM廠商之產品經理在新產品開發的過程中，最初概念形成階段，及新產品開發後之上市階段，產品經理如何發揮其管理功能，以達成每階段的順利運作。本研究經由個案訪談及次級資料的分析結果如下： 一、台灣OBM廠商「產品經理」在新產品概念形成階段，主要扮演規劃者的角色，且「內部」與「外部」為創意之重要來源。 二、台灣OBM廠商「產品經理」在新產品上市階段，從主導的角色轉換為協助的角色。 三、台灣OBM廠商「產品經理」在新產品開發過程中，需要與來自於公司內部及外部之不同對象溝通協調，尤以內部溝通為重；與顧客甚少直接溝通。 四、台灣OBM廠商「產品經理」在新產品開發過程中，主要權力來源為「專家權力」，且並非扮演重要的實際決策角色。

由於產業競爭加劇、工作變動速度提升，專案已經成為企業工作常態方式，我國電子電機產業自經營代工業務開始，將每一張代工訂單視為企業內部的一個生產製造專案，而轉型經營自有品牌OBM業務後，不同於過去專注生產製造階段的專案工作，品牌產品專案的執行必須包括整體產品生命週期，從產品定義、規格設計、生產製造、市場銷售到顧客回應，產品專案流程涵蓋各式獨立的專案工作，隨著高度互動的專案工作成為常態，管理多個專案工作之間的互動合作、溝通協調，以及累積各個專案執行的經驗，成為組織專案管理及知識管理領域中越來越重要的工作，本研究欲了解在企業專案工作環境下，各獨立專案工作為完成創造單一品牌產品目的，專案彼此之間的互動合作，從產品專案的開發流程、專案分工溝通互動、專案團隊組織三方面，深入瞭解自有品牌產品團隊的跨專案工作互動與產品知識管理。 跳脫過往專注單一專案關鍵成功因素討論的專案管理研究，本研究針對目前企業多專案互動的常態工作環境，以動態角度綜觀探討多個專案之間的互動溝通；同時將過往知識管理文獻多以組織整體為主的角度，進一步深入專案執行階段的角度；本研究也不同於過往宏觀角度討論代工業務及自有品牌企業經營策略之研究，以微觀角度詳細描述品牌產品專案之開發流程，挑選Acer、ASUS、MIO、HTC四家台灣經營自有品牌消費性電子產品績優企業，討論Acer液晶顯示器、ASUS主機板、ASUS筆記型電腦、ASUS智慧型手機、MIO導航產品及HTC智慧型手機六個自有品牌產品個案，以「產品開發專案流程」與「跨專案知識管理程序」兩個程序構面，訪談九位帶領產品專案團隊的產品專案經理，透過實際的第一手經驗資料 ，詳細撰寫產品專案開發流程，從產品定義、規格設計、生產製造、市場銷售到顧客回應各階段之整體開發，深入分析產品專案中涵蓋的各個獨立專案工作彼此之間的分工溝通互動、專案團隊組織、專案經理工作，並探討個案產品開發與市場的互動，以及跨專案的知識管理，從市場趨勢及顧客回饋兩方面檢視自有品牌產品在技術面及行銷面的知識吸收。 研究發現產品專案開發流程包括產品定義、生產協調、市場回饋三大階段，由不同專案團隊專職各個階段，其中產品開發團隊與研發生產團隊之間的專案分工溝通互動，具有一致性的緊密互動 ；專案團隊組織方面則發現，產品專案團隊日常主要以輕量型團隊執行衍生性產品專案，而進行新創產品時，則以重量型團隊搭配平台性產品專案執行。本研究以衍生性產品專案/平台性產品之專案分類方式，發現產品專案在執行上的不同特性，對專案管理體制有許多影響，如越常執行平台性產品專案的品牌產品，與市場團隊之間的合作連結越緊密，也越重視區域行銷單位的市場回應知識與內部研發團隊的市場技術知識。 研究發現自有品牌與OEM/ODM專案流程一樣相當注重產品生產、研發製造階段，而產品經理工作多在維護與商業夥伴供應商、經銷商的關係，很少接觸消費者及產品市場面，這對大部分執行衍生性專案產品的品牌產品而言，是相當有效率的工作方式，然而，對較常執行平台性專案的品牌產品專案，產品定義必須符合市場需求，產品經理鮮少接觸消費者及產品市場面，對產品的創造發展有極大的阻礙。因此本研究建議將產品的創新程度、銷售結果、市場顧客回應與產品經理的工作績效連結，提升開發創新產品的動機與勇氣，同時徹底發揮功能性組織的力量，強化產品開發專案各階段的專業性，使各階段獨立的專案工作更緊密地互動，整合創造新產品，把顧客當成參與產品創新的夥伴，加入市場聲音，把內部測試回饋當成市場反應的領先指標，建立創新意見回饋系統平台，儲存各式礙於組織架構、專案團隊等因素無法實現的新創想法，累積組織創新能量。 本研究提出以產品家族的角度經營品牌產品專案的結論，依據產品特性規劃產品系列，讓產品經理自產品開發階段就了解產品上下代的關係、清楚產品專案代表的企業市場意義、上一代產品在市場上最受喜愛及最被詬病的特點，以及認識執行上一代產品的PM，使產品經理之間的合作更有一致性與歸屬感，藉由自有品牌產品專案團隊跨專案的互動，更積極頻繁地針對產品經營討論溝通，以經營自有品牌產品、開創新產品、強化品牌印象、開創市場佔有率為主要工作目標。使產品經理充滿經營產品的熱誠、具有執行品牌產品開發的使命感；使大量多元的產品有系統的依據各不同規格、功能、設計，以產品家族方式統整呈現於企業品牌下，使各產品特色不受混淆地在同一品牌中發展茁壯，既突顯產品獨特性，也加強品牌印象，是創造領導品牌最重要的根基。 / As the business environment goes more challenging, all the organization functional projects in different stages need to start its work earlier than the product process. All the functional projects in different stages of the product process seem need to work almost at the same time to deal with the shorter product lifecycle. Managing through projects has become a standard way of doing business and now can be seen from an integral part of many organization’s business strategies. As Taiwanese electronic product companies transformed the critical RD and manufacturing knowledge which is from the project-based OEM/ODM business experience for decades to OBM business managing, the OBM Product Project covers all the product lifecycle and has wider working process than an OEM/ODM Project. The OBM Product Project creates product by several independent projects of different RD functional areas, which led by different team leaders, processing through all the stages of the product cycle. Without well interactions among the independent projects during an OBM Product Project’s lifecycle, once the knowledge assets lost between the projects working process connection, final product of the OBM Product Project can be fail or totally not match up the original product design. So how do the best Taiwanese electronic brand products make it? In this research you will find out what the real OBM Product Project working process is of the famous brand products as Acer, ASUS, MIO and HTC. How the independent projects communicate with upstream and downstream team to make the OBM Product Project successful. Also reveal the real working detail of all kinds of project leader in project team organization under different company organization. The structure of this research for cases writing and analyzing structure is following the New Product Project process and the Sequence of Knowledge Management process as the working process sequence to discuss the communication between project leaders and the interactions between the independent projects of the Product Project steps by Four Mode of Upstream-Downstream Interaction . The case materials is interviewed from 11 Product/Project Managers, also analyzed numerous second materials from magazines, reports, conferences and so on, working on revealing the real working process form all the independent projects of the OBM Product Project.

在全球化的趨勢下，產品的生命週期縮短、競爭也越來越激烈，各企業面對新產品的開發、新技術的發展及商業化速度的要求比以前更高。為了有效的開發新產品，為企業創造高額之利潤，強化企業競爭力，企業必須能夠在最短的時間內整合組織資源（例如行銷、研發與製造等核心能力），成為最有效率的公司。尤其，面對快速變化的動態環境之下，企業應以全球性的市場需求及標準，執行全球化的新產品開發流程與組織架構。 　　本研究從行銷與創新研發的整合，來探討新產品開發時有哪些成功關鍵因素，例如應該建立何種的流程與機制，可以快速有效的開發新產品，成功達到商品化的目的;行銷人員如何針對市場的需要，客戶的需求作市場調查，以確認、掌握機會；何種的組織創新平台，可以讓研發團隊能快速開發新產品，可以有效整合行銷與研發團隊，發揮組織之最大綜效。本研究主要在探討以下四項新產品開發時的重要問題，期望能提供給企業界一些具體之建議與做法。 　　1. 企業應採取何種新產品開發策略，才能快速有效的發展出新產品，並成功的商品化上市？ 　　2. 如何建立卓越的新產品開發流程，迅速成功的開發新產品？ 　　3. 新產品開發團隊中，行銷與研發團隊人員應如何有效整合？領導者如何發揮領導與溝通的角色？ 　　4. 哪些績效評估之機制與參考指標，可促進新產品開發之績效？ 　　本研究整理過去相關的新產品開發文獻與從四個個案之研究與分析中，可以從策略面、流程面、團隊領導溝通面與工具面，就新產品開發與行銷與研發之整合，發展出以下幾項之研究結論： 　　策略面： 　　1. 企業在規劃新產品開發策略時，應該採取新產品線與產品改良等同步進行的開發策略。 　　2. 為了加速新產品的開發，公司應同時採取內部自行研發與外部研發中心建立策略聯盟的合作方式。 　　流程面： 　　1. 明確的新產品開發流程，工作職掌分明，流程標準化，並以正式文件描述之，可以加速新產品開發的速度且成功地完成商品化與上市。 　　2. 完善的前置作業，作好初步市場調查與技術評估，可以提前完成新產品的定義，如此可以有助於新產品開發的成功。 　　3. 行銷人員提早介入、接觸市場，深入了解顧客之需求，將客戶的需求充分反映給專案小組，如此有助於新產品的開發成功。 　　4. 行銷人員與研發團隊應該更接近市場，以便能快速因應客戶的需求，迅速作回應，也可以提昇新產品開發的績效。 　　團隊領導溝通面： 　　1. 在高度不確定性、產品生命週期短的高科技產業裡，行銷與研發團隊的有效整合，對於新產品開發扮演重要的成功關鍵因素。 　　2. 跨功能團隊組織的建立及良好運作模式，可以快速因應市場與客戶需求，進而提高新產品與服務的品質。 　　3. 透過完善的溝通協調機制，可以有效解決團隊成員間的衝突。定期的會議，面對面會談，視訊會議，電話討論等都是很好的溝通機制。 　　4. 充份信任，授權的組織文化能夠讓新產品開發團隊成員發揮其最大潛能，也能提昇新產品開發績效。 　　5. 專案領導人的有效領導，激勵團隊成員充份發揮其潛能，產品成功率可以提昇。 　　6. 領導者彈性因應市場之需求，做好資源的有效分配與運用，並作好橫向溝通與協調，可以適時有效的發揮組織的功用，持續開發出新產品。 　　7. 領導者在團隊中，應該扮演教練的角色，也扮演守門員(Gate Keeper)之角色，協助團隊成員專注在重要的專案計劃，率先成功開發新產品。 　　8. 提供激發創意的環境與團隊氣氛，有助於新產品開發成功。 　　工具面： 　　1. 良好的績效評估制度與獎勵措施有助於行銷與研發的整合。 　　2. 明確而客觀的績效評估指標，例如，市場佔有率、產品獲利率、業績成長率，可以激勵團隊士氣，也有助於新產品開發成功。 　　3. 以網路系統、電子郵件作為知識分享、雙向溝通的工具。 / Under the trend of globalization, product’s life cycle turns shorter with severe level of competition. Thereby, the development in new product and technology as well as product commercialization are more important than ever for enterprises today. Only the ones with the capability to efficiently integrate resources in dynamic market are able to harvest remarkable profits and strengthen market competitiveness. Especially under the dynamic changing environments, enterprises should utilize the global market needs and standard as its foundation to execute new product developments and organization structure. 　　This thesis is to study the key success factors of new product development under the integration between marketing and research & development (R&D) teams. For example, what is the most effective process for new product development and commercialization? How to acquire business opportunity from accurate analysis of market demand? What kind of organizational platform enables R&D team to develop new product in timely manner? The thesis will focus on the following four questions of new product development, and is aimed to provide practical advices for enterprises in general. 　　1. What is the most effective strategy for new product development and commercialization? 　　2. How to establish distinct workstation for new product development? 　　3. How to effectively integrate marketing and R&D teams? What role should the leader play? 　　4. What kind of evaluation and reference enhance the performance of new product development? 　　With relevant documents and four case studies, the thesis concludes the research in four aspects, namely Strategy, Process, Leadership & Communication and Techniques. 　　Strategy Aspect: 　　1. New product development and reformation of existing product line should be undertaken simultaneously. 　　2. To expedite new product development, enterprise is recommended to form the strategic alliance between its own team and other R&D force externally. 　　Process Aspect: 　　1. Clear job description and standardized process accelerate new product development and leads to successful product launch and commercialization. 　　2. Impeccable marketing research and analysis allows enterprise to define new product’s market position at the initial stage. 　　3. Early study and approach of market demand and customer requirements enables the project team to penetrate the market precisely. 　　4. Both marketing and R&D teams should be familiar with market situation, providing timely services to meet customer’s needs. 　　Leadership & Communication Aspect: 　　1. Effective integration between marketing and R&D teams plays an important role for industries with dynamic environment, short product life cycle such as high-tech industry. 　　2. The development of cross functional teams and nice operation model at product development stage can proactively response to customer’s requirements and is able to improve the product and service quality 　　3. Periodical meetings and communication can effectively break conflicts among the teams. 　　4. Adequate trust and authorization allows team members to educe their potential for better performance. 　　5. Efficient leadership to inspire team members for the maximum potential and results is the key to the success of the new product development. 　　6. With good resource managements and horizontal communication & coordination, a flexible project leader could optimize its organizational function to continuously develop new products according to market demand. 　　7. A good leader acts as Coach as well as Gate Keeper to support team members to focus on the priority of new product development efficiently. 　　8. Providing innovative and harmonious working environments could expedite the success of the new product development. 　　Technique Aspect: 　　1. Fair performance appraisal and incentive policy enhance the integration of marketing and R&D teams. 　　2. The clear defined performance indicators such as market share, number of new projects, profit rate, sales growth rate are important to motivate the team members to dedicate on the project. 　　3. The web site, intranet, e- mail, e- learning are good tools for knowledge management and experience sharing that helps to a better communication and integration between marketing and R&D teams.