In the high-paced, uncertain, and resource-constrained environment of software startups, achieving product–market fit and acquiring initial customers are critical yet challenging tasks. These challenges are often exacerbated by the absence of strategic planning, inefficient requirements selection processes, inadequate resource allocation, and insufficient market research, leading to an alarming 63% failure rate among software startups. The Product Manager (PM), responsible for product strategy, planning, and results monitoring, plays a pivotal role in navigating these complexities; however, the PM role is often undervalued and lacks a universally accepted definition. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the PM's role within software startups by conducting a comprehensive Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Employing a rigorous selection methodology, we reviewed 134 studies and identified 662 distinct PM tasks across 122 activities. Notably, only 7 studies (5.73%) specifically addressed the software startup context, revealing a substantial gap in the literature. Our findings indicate that while product planning and requirements prioritization are dominant topics, many critical activities remain underrepresented, underscoring the need for targeted research in these areas. By addressing the unique challenges faced by software startups, we pave the way for more targeted and effective PM strategies. Future research should consider adopting mixed-method approaches to deepen the understanding of PM practices and investigate underexplored areas such as go-to-market strategies, roadmap creation, and requirements selection within the startup context.
| Published in | American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (Volume 9, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11 |
| Page(s) | 66-91 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Product Management, Startups, Requirements Engineering, Product Manager
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APA Style
Pattyn, F. (2024). The Critical Role of Product Managers and Their Responsibilities in Software Startups: A Systematic Literature Review. American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 9(4), 66-91. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11
ACS Style
Pattyn, F. The Critical Role of Product Managers and Their Responsibilities in Software Startups: A Systematic Literature Review. Am. J. Eng. Technol. Manag. 2024, 9(4), 66-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11
AMA Style
Pattyn F. The Critical Role of Product Managers and Their Responsibilities in Software Startups: A Systematic Literature Review. Am J Eng Technol Manag. 2024;9(4):66-91. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11,
author = {Frederic Pattyn},
title = {The Critical Role of Product Managers and Their Responsibilities in Software Startups: A Systematic Literature Review
},
journal = {American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management},
volume = {9},
number = {4},
pages = {66-91},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajetm.20240904.11},
abstract = {In the high-paced, uncertain, and resource-constrained environment of software startups, achieving product–market fit and acquiring initial customers are critical yet challenging tasks. These challenges are often exacerbated by the absence of strategic planning, inefficient requirements selection processes, inadequate resource allocation, and insufficient market research, leading to an alarming 63% failure rate among software startups. The Product Manager (PM), responsible for product strategy, planning, and results monitoring, plays a pivotal role in navigating these complexities; however, the PM role is often undervalued and lacks a universally accepted definition. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the PM's role within software startups by conducting a comprehensive Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Employing a rigorous selection methodology, we reviewed 134 studies and identified 662 distinct PM tasks across 122 activities. Notably, only 7 studies (5.73%) specifically addressed the software startup context, revealing a substantial gap in the literature. Our findings indicate that while product planning and requirements prioritization are dominant topics, many critical activities remain underrepresented, underscoring the need for targeted research in these areas. By addressing the unique challenges faced by software startups, we pave the way for more targeted and effective PM strategies. Future research should consider adopting mixed-method approaches to deepen the understanding of PM practices and investigate underexplored areas such as go-to-market strategies, roadmap creation, and requirements selection within the startup context.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Critical Role of Product Managers and Their Responsibilities in Software Startups: A Systematic Literature Review AU - Frederic Pattyn Y1 - 2024/10/10 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11 T2 - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management JF - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management JO - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management SP - 66 EP - 91 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-1441 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20240904.11 AB - In the high-paced, uncertain, and resource-constrained environment of software startups, achieving product–market fit and acquiring initial customers are critical yet challenging tasks. These challenges are often exacerbated by the absence of strategic planning, inefficient requirements selection processes, inadequate resource allocation, and insufficient market research, leading to an alarming 63% failure rate among software startups. The Product Manager (PM), responsible for product strategy, planning, and results monitoring, plays a pivotal role in navigating these complexities; however, the PM role is often undervalued and lacks a universally accepted definition. This study aims to enhance the understanding of the PM's role within software startups by conducting a comprehensive Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Employing a rigorous selection methodology, we reviewed 134 studies and identified 662 distinct PM tasks across 122 activities. Notably, only 7 studies (5.73%) specifically addressed the software startup context, revealing a substantial gap in the literature. Our findings indicate that while product planning and requirements prioritization are dominant topics, many critical activities remain underrepresented, underscoring the need for targeted research in these areas. By addressing the unique challenges faced by software startups, we pave the way for more targeted and effective PM strategies. Future research should consider adopting mixed-method approaches to deepen the understanding of PM practices and investigate underexplored areas such as go-to-market strategies, roadmap creation, and requirements selection within the startup context. VL - 9 IS - 4 ER -
Department of Business Informatics and Operations Management, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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