The role of Product Management in product companies is becoming a critical element in the success of an organization.

Product managers typically act as the CEO of a product and are responsible for the strategic and tactical activities that help bring a product to market, position it in the market, and decide when to retire the product.

Product development cultures tend to be categorized in one of four ways: market-driven, customer-driven, sales-driven, or engineering driven. The type of culture that exists in your company is going to affect many of the things you do as a product manager and how much real influence you have on the product’s direction. Understanding this culture and how to manage it can be one of the most important things you can do as a product manager.

Whether you are a product manager in a small software company or in a consumer electronics manufacturer, these ten steps are applicable and will help you become a more successful product manager.