Product Managers are in the unique position of having dual citizenship, with passports for both Marketing land and Development land. In fact, you find you can’t predict whether a company will have its Product Manager positions reporting into Marketing or Development.

It’s a sign that companies have a difficult time figuring out where product management fits. The truth is that a fully mature product management function is independent of both, while being knee-deep in both Marketing and Development activities.

Regardless of where Product Managers are placed in the organization, they can provide vital assistance to Development in its goal of building a great software product. They provide an outside, business-focused perspective, but in a level of detail that reflects an interest in and understanding of the technology that is used to build the product.

Read below for some ideas on how a Product Manager can help Development do the best job it can.