The Product Manager's Guide to Product Portfolio Strategy

Overview

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This course features Coursera Coach! A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. This course provides you with a comprehensive understanding of product portfolio strategy and management. You will learn how adopting a portfolio perspective can significantly enhance product decision-making. By delving into frameworks like the BCG Matrix, GE–McKinsey Matrix, and the Ansoff Matrix, you will explore methods to evaluate product performance and strategically manage a portfolio. You will begin by learning the foundational concepts of product portfolio management, moving on to explore how success metrics align with your goals. You’ll understand how to connect product strategy to portfolio outcomes and make strategic decisions that boost the overall success of your portfolio. The course is filled with case studies from companies like Netflix and Tesla, demonstrating how these frameworks are applied in real-world scenarios. This course is ideal for product managers, business strategists, and those in leadership positions who want to improve their ability to manage and grow a product portfolio. No prior experience is required, although familiarity with basic business strategy would be helpful. The course is intermediate in difficulty. By the end of the course, you will be able to apply key portfolio management frameworks, evaluate product performance, assess market potential, and balance risk with opportunity to drive business success.

Syllabus

Introduction

In this module, we will explore the key differences between product portfolio management and product management, shedding light on their unique focuses. You’ll learn how a portfolio perspective enhances decision-making and aligns product strategy with overall business goals. By the end of this module, you will be able to set clear success metrics for your portfolio to ensure strategic alignment and measurable outcomes.

Portfolio Analysis

In this module, we will dive into portfolio analysis tools like the BCG and GE–McKinsey matrices, which help evaluate product performance and inform strategic decisions. You'll explore how to assess growth opportunities using the Ansoff Matrix and apply these frameworks to real-world case studies. The module will also focus on balancing risk and opportunity in your portfolio to ensure long-term success.

Lifecycle Management

In this module, we will cover the importance of the product life cycle in portfolio management, guiding you through each phase from introduction to decline. Using real-world examples, you'll learn how to identify where products are in their life cycle and make informed decisions based on that. The module will also highlight challenges that arise at each stage and provide strategies for navigating these obstacles.