Bhashwati Pyne’s Post

When I was walking at the seaside with one of my dad’s friends who is the CEO of a big tech company, I told him that I had secured an internship in Product Management. Not knowing what product management exactly was, I asked him. Here’s what he said: “Product Management is the heart and motor of most companies. Product Managers are the voice of the customer.” With these motivating words, I started my six-month internship in the Product Management department of a world-leading component manufacturing company. Based on my internship experience, I will discuss the pros and cons of doing your internship in Product Management and whether or not Product Management is something for you. By Olivier Stiévenard Read more... https://lnkd.in/eiGxmckX #productdevelopment #productmanagement

"Why Ignoring Product Management Could Be Your Business Biggest Mistake" Week 1 of my product management internship was an eye-opener, and it made me realize just how much businesses miss out by underestimating the role of a product manager. Before diving in, I thought a product was simply an item on a shelf. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Here’s what I learned: A product isn’t just a thing; it’s a solution to a problem. It’s a strategy, a vision that connects customer needs to business goals. As a product manager, you’re the bridge—ensuring that every step, from development to delivery, serves the end user while meeting business objectives. We delved deep into product lifecycle management, stakeholder alignment, and the balance of competing priorities. It’s about asking the right questions: Who is the product for? What value does it bring? How do we continuously improve? Ignoring this process isn't just a minor slip—it’s a missed opportunity that could cost businesses more than they realize. I can’t wait to learn more in the coming weeks and share more insights on this fascinating role. Stay tuned! #ProductManagement #InternshipExperience #BusinessGrowth #CustomerFirst

🧵A thread: The Internship that unveiled the Product Manager inside me 🚀 This summer was special. “We’re going to expect you to operate like a real Product Manager, and not an intern” is what my hiring manager said on the first day of my three-month PM internship. With those words in mind, my task was to enhance our product-led growth (PLG) strategy. I knew the key was making Pluto’s user journey—from sign-up to first transaction—not just smooth, but intuitive and valuable. It took plenty of brainstorming, user research, and iteration to ensure users not only had a frictionless onboarding experience but felt confident enough to invite their teams. By the end, I saw firsthand how a well-executed product experience drives user acquisition and retention. It was a hands-on crash course in creating growth, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to work alongside. Excited to take these lessons forward as I keep building my career in Product Management! Continue reading to learn more about some of my findings that not only shaped my internship but will continue to guide me in this journey👇

A well-known tech company filtered 2024 summer product interns by whether they have an MBA. Is that smart? It reminded me of a recent conversation with an aspiring product manager about certifications and learning opportunities. "Unfortunately," I explained, "product owner certifications or product manager boot camps will likely not help you get a job at the companies you aspire to get a job at." We then discussed some alternative ways to gain the required skills and experience and achieve their goals. Turns out that real-world experience doesn't help you get an internship, at least at that company. It is easy to question certifications, boot camps, etc. It is harder to question the more systemic forms of gatekeeping that exist in our industry. Thoughts?

A few key takeaways from my Product Management Internship at CrossnoKaye, a rapidly growing and innovative startup: ⭐ Take Initiative. Go the extra mile by finding ways to make positive contributions to your team and company. It's difficult to stand out when you aren't actively trying to add value on top of your required responsibilities. ⭐ Problem-solving skills are essential. When you're given a problem, don't immediately try to come up with a solution before you take the time to understand the underlying issues. Coming up with solutions before truly understanding the problem can lead to narrow-minded thinking. ⭐ Make connections. Take the time to get to know your coworkers when you can. You never know when you can help each other out and collaborate on something great. ⭐ Be eager to learn. It can be really intimidating when you know something will take a lot of time and effort to learn. I like to remember that everyone starts off in the same position. Anyone can learn something highly complicated if they have the motivation and dedication. ⭐ Don't consider something to be impossible until you've exhausted every avenue. You'd be surprised what you can achieve when you're a little scrappy 😉 . Overall, I had the best experience during my internship while working with some incredible people. I'm so grateful to be given the opportunity and so excited to continue my journey at CrossnoKaye as a Product Coordinator. I feel proud to contribute to an effort focused on helping the environment by reducing energy usage and carbon emissions in the Industrial Food and Beverage Industry.

How to know if Product Management is the right career for you? 2 years back, I was in my last semester, still contemplating if I should go with marketing or explore other domains. I was hearing the word "product management" quite a lot. So I decided to research upon it. Here are the 4 steps I took to ensure product management was the right fit: 1- I watched a lot of YouTube videos to understand the role and responsibilities of a PM, and day to day in their work life. 2- I talked to people who were already in the product management field to understand more deeply about the role, and the challenges that comes with it. 3- I went for a PM internship to see how does it actually feel to work as a PM. And I was completely fine with wasting 2-3 months of my career if it didn't turned out to be the right fit. 4- During the internship I shadowed the product managers to see how they are going about their responsibilities as a PM. Because the fact is you don't get to experience the full product lifecycle as an Intern So after taking these 4 steps, I was sure that this is what I'm meant to do. And here I am now... Working in the product management and still loving it every single day.

As aspiring product managers, we often wonder: Are we truly ready for the challenges ahead? Here's a piece of wisdom I recently encountered that resonated deeply: "You're never going to feel 100% ready. Trust me. I always had this feeling like, am I sure I'm a PM? Am I sure that I know what I'm doing?" Key takeaways for aspiring PMs: 1️⃣ Theory meets practice: focus more on internships, volunteering, or building your own product. It's where real growth happens! 2️⃣ Embrace the mess: Real-world challenges are unpredictable and stressful, but incredibly rewarding. 3️⃣ Learn on the job: Mistakes are part of the journey. Develop your skills as you go. 4️⃣ Adaptability is key: Be open to learning and ready to pivot when needed. Remember, the gap between theory and practice is where true innovation thrives. It's okay to feel uncertain – that's where the magic happens! What's your experience bridging the gap between theory and practice in your career? Share your stories below! 👇

Consider the story of Sarah, a marketing specialist who wanted to transition into product management. She enrolled in a product management course and, after finishing the course, took an internship where she managed the lifecycle of a small internal tool used by her company’s sales team. Sarah collaborated with software developers to improve the tool, gathered user feedback from the sales team, and made iterative updates based on that feedback. Her hands-on experience in managing this tool’s lifecycle helped her transition into a full-time product management role, where she now leads major product initiatives. Be like Sarah and join our next cohort starting on 15th June! Don't let a lack of experience hold you back! #ProductManagement #Internship #Experience #Management

I was creating a project plan for our intern at Wisary the other day. When guiding an intern, just like when working with an LLM, I need to be very precise about what needs to be built. 🛠️ I wrote the high-level requirements, user stories, a technical plan, a test plan, created milestones and tasks, and then realized the original approach for one of the requirements was too complicated to implement. I had to trace back all my work to make changes in all the documents I created—a painful process where I of course missed some details. 😩 So, this is why Product Managers hate writing detailed requirements! I only wish there was a solution that not only made writing all these planning documents easy but also made changes across the documents seamless and robust... 😉