Product Management Glossary

Clear definitions of key product management terms and frameworks. A free reference for PMs at every level.

  • A/B Testing

    A method of comparing two versions of a product experience to determine which performs better.

  • Competitive Analysis

    A structured evaluation of competitors' products, positioning, and strategies to inform your own product decisions.

  • Customer Journey Map

    A visual representation of every interaction a customer has with your product or service.

  • Design Sprint

    A five-day structured process for rapidly solving problems and testing ideas through prototyping and user testing.

  • Feature Flag

    A software development technique that lets teams enable or disable features without deploying new code.

  • Go-to-Market Strategy

    A plan that outlines how a company will launch a product and reach its target customers.

  • Jobs to Be Done (JTBD)

    A framework for understanding customer needs by focusing on the underlying "job" they are trying to accomplish.

  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

    The simplest version of a product that can be released to validate a hypothesis and learn from real users.

  • North Star Metric

    The single metric that best captures the core value your product delivers to customers.

  • Objectives and Key Results (OKR)

    A goal-setting framework that pairs ambitious objectives with measurable key results.

  • Product Requirements Document (PRD)

    A document that defines the purpose, features, and functionality of a product or feature.

  • Product Backlog

    A prioritized list of work items, features, and improvements that a product team plans to deliver.

  • Product-Led Growth (PLG)

    A business strategy where the product itself drives customer acquisition, conversion, and expansion.

  • Product-Market Fit

    The degree to which a product satisfies strong market demand and solves a real problem for its users.

  • RICE Framework

    A prioritization framework that scores ideas by Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort.

  • Sprint

    A fixed time period (usually 1-4 weeks) during which a team works to complete a set of planned tasks.

  • Stakeholder Management

    The practice of identifying, engaging, and communicating with people who have influence over or interest in your product.

  • Technical Debt

    The accumulated cost of shortcuts or suboptimal technical decisions that will need to be addressed later.

  • User Persona

    A semi-fictional representation of your ideal user based on research and data.

  • User Story

    A short description of a feature from the end user's perspective, following the format "As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]."