Because of their unique view of the myriad elements of the business, the product management team should be an independent body with equal stature to other functional areas of the business. Only as an equal and independent body can the C-level leadership be assured of unbiased recommendations on product strategy and direction to meet market needs. This, of course, assumes the product management team can perform their jobs effectively.

Product management organizations can have a profound effect on a company’s success – or failure – and every C-level executive should thoughtfully and intentionally utilize product management as a key member of the C-team. Simply put, no other person in the company understands all the following better than the product manager