Teaching plan for the course unit

 

 
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General information

 

Course unit name: Product Management

Course unit code: 363692

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Michele Girotto

Department: Department of Business

Credits: 6

Single program: N

 

 

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

 

Face-to-face and/or online activities

60
 

-  Lecture with practical component

Face-to-face

  

15
 

-  Problem-solving class

Face-to-face

  

45

Supervised project

40

Independent learning

50

 

 

Recommendations

 

Students should have taken and passed the following subjects:

  • Principles of Marketing
  • Strategic Marketing
  • Market Research I

 

 

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

 

   -

Creative and entrepreneurial skills (capacity to conceive, design and manage projects/capacity to research and integrate new knowledge and approaches).
   -

Concern for sustainability (capacity to assess the social and environmental impact of actions taken in a particular setting/capacity to adopt integrated and systemic approaches).
   -

To be able to make financial and business decisions, taking into account the current economic situation.
   -

To design, manage and create viable and feasible business projects, according to the type of organization.
   -

L¿estudiant, per superar aquesta assignatura, ha de demostrar els resultats següents:


  • Ser capaç de dur a terme adequadament la gestió estratègica del producte; elaborar la política de productes, dissenyar la cartera de productes de l¿empresa i gestionar la marca.

  • Ser capaç de dissenyar, des de la planificació estratègica, un pla de diferenciació i de llançament del producte al mercat, utilitzant les eines de gestió de productes i marques adequades.

  • Ser capaç de cercar la informació necessària, real i rellevant de diverses fonts, resumir aquesta informació i utilitzar-la per resoldre el problema real que se li presenta.

  • Ser capaç de presentar per escrit, en forma d¿informe, i oralment, en forma de presentació, el treball dut a terme, tenint especial cura a ressaltar les conclusions principals, sempre degudament justificades i utilitzant la terminologia adequada.

 

 

Learning objectives

 

Referring to knowledge

— Provide complete information on the problems that product managers have to deal with.

 

— Further the knowledge and skills needed for the successful development of the main tasks of product managers.

 

— Explain the multidisciplinary reality of the tasks of product managers.

 

— Know the basic theoretical principles and models of product improvement and be able to apply them to real market situations.

 

— Analyse the tools and procedures that allow a company to establish a strategy for developing new products.

 

— Introduce the main research methodologies and make participants aware of their complexity.

 

— Provide the concepts, tools and methodology for managing a company’s products and for launching new products.

 

Referring to abilities, skills

— Familiarize participants with real cases.

 

— Present participants with market problems and challenges that require decision-making, taking into account the nature of the product, the company and the environment.

 

— Develop other skills for the business world, such as teamwork, interpersonal communication, negotiation, persuasion and public presentations.

 

— Familiarize participants with the basic concepts and frames of action in the field of product management and, more specifically, in product optimization, as well as its interrelation with other business concerns and its integration within the company’s objectives.

 

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

— Meet targets in delivery of assignments.

 

— Appreciate the need to analyse a situation before making a decision.

 

— Appreciate the importance of planning work.

 

 

Teaching blocks

 

1. Introduction to new products

1.1. Innovation

• Introduction
• The importance of innovation in product management
• Types and spaces of innovation

1.2. New products (NP)

• Concept of NPs for business vs. consumer
• Goals to be achieved with NPs and their challenges
• Types of NP

1.3. Marketing techniques used for NP management and the NP development process

• Segmentation, positioning and value proposal
• Life cycle
• Product portfolio analysis
• NP development process
— Agility as a strategy for the NP development process
— Organization of NP development
— Causes of NP success and failure

2. Practical methodology for researching and developing new products

2.1. Generation and evaluation of product ideas

  • Brainstorming techniques
  • Integrating the generation of ideas with a knowledge of consumer needs: exploring consumer behaviour and validating the customer archetype (buyer persona)
  • Understanding the importance of market research and competitive intelligence in evaluating the idea
  • Concept selection and development, testing and evaluation
  • Identifying and exploring supporting documents for the selection and prioritization of ideas: problem canvas, product canvas, business model canvas

2.2. Understanding the value of the business opportunity: market strategy approach and product sheet

  • Working on the structure of a typical business canvas outline
  • Development of the market strategy (applying tools to assess the go-to-market strategy): market strategy documents and market needs
  • Development of final product version: working on the product sheet
  • Development of product roadmaps

2.3. The pre-launch and launch

  • Prototype development and product evaluation (pre-launch)
  • Development of a launch plan:
    • Definition of goals and launch schedule
    • Types of launch
    • Elements of a launch plan
    • The pricing, promotion and distribution strategies for the new product
  • Key aspects of planning a product recall plan

3. Working on the specific skills and competences of the product manager

3.1. Working skills and functions

  • Basic functions and the job of the product manager
  • Common product launch errors that the product manager should avoid

 

 

Teaching methods and general organization

 

Learning is based on the transmission of core knowledge, complemented by the discussion of practical cases that allow students to step into the role of product management professionals.
 
During class hours, both theoretical and practical concepts are presented, and practical cases and real cases from the current business world are solved. In fact, students are expected to think and make decisions as if they were product managers from a company, brand or product.
 
Students follow the subject by opting for one of the following modes: a participatory system (continuous assessment) and a non-participatory system (single assessment). Students are automatically entered for the participatory system, but can renounce this mode up until the date of the final exam.

Participatory system (continuous assessment)

Class attendance is compulsory, and students are required to participate in the following activities:

  • Class lectures. The material presented aims to provide an overview of research in the field of product optimization and to offer a synthesis of the theory related to each of the topics covered.
  • Exercises and practical cases. In each session, students carry out exercises designed to familiarise them with the research problems in product optimization that they may encounter in professional practice
  • Project-based learning. Students carry out a project that involves researching, designing and evaluating an innovative product concept and a launch plan. Working groups for the product design and launch project are formed with attention to gender balance
  • Flipped classroom and teamwork. A flipped-classroom methodology is used in presenting the subject’s topics, with students working in teams to achieve the learning objectives defined for each unit. As part of the active flipped-classroom methodology, students are required to read the assigned materials and prepare the content in advance, according to the schedule provided by the teaching staff.
  • Readings and complementary material. Students are required to read and prepare the corresponding material in advance so as to be able to complete the exercises and practical cases.


This mode of assessment entails attending at least 80% of the sessions and renouncing single assessment.

Opting out of continuous assessment. If a student fails to take part in the scheduled assessment activities and exams, they will be deemed to have renounced the continuous mode of assessment and will be assessed under the single-assessment mode.This means their right to continuous assessment is automatically waived.

Non-participatory system (single assessment)

Class attendance is optional, and students are required to participate in the following activities:
  • Class lectures. The material presented aims to provide an overview of research in the field of product optimization and to offer a synthesis of the theory related to each of the topics covered.
  • Final examination testing understanding of course content and theoretical sessions.

 

 

Official assessment of learning outcomes

 

Continuous assessment comprises the following assessed activities:

  • Examination (25%). Students sit a compulsory written exam. The best way to prepare for this exam is to attend lectures regularly throughout the semester, engage actively and critically in discussions, and read the assigned materials carefully.
  • Team assignment (30%). Product development and launch project. Development of an innovation and new product launch plan, along with a development and launch report.
  • Presentation and oral defence of a new product (10%). The group work carried out during the course is presented.
  • Exercises and class participation (35%). Students are expected to actively participate in class by working on exercises and practical cases throughout the course, engaging in solution development, and debating various business scenarios both in small and large groups. The tasks carried out using active methodologies are assessed within this section


Opting out of continuous assessment. If a student fails to take part in the scheduled assessment activities and exams, they will be deemed to have renounced the continuous mode of assessment and will be assessed under the single-assessment mode.This means their right to continuous assessment is automatically waived.


Repeat assessment

This is based on an examination worth 100% of the final grade.

 

Examination-based assessment

The student has the right to opt for repeat assessment up until the day of the exam itself.

Single assessment comprises a final exam covering the whole of the syllabus and the content introduced in the theoretical classes, and constitutes 100% of the final grade. The exam includes a multiple-choice section followed by a practical exercise and/or an open-ended question.

Repeat assessment

This is based on an examination worth 100% of the final grade.

 

 

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

BARBA, Enric. Innovación: 100 consejos para inspirarla y gestionarla. Barcelona : Libros de Cabecera, 2011

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

JIMÉNEZ ZARCO, Ana Isabel. Dirección de productos y marcas. Barcelona: UOC, 2004

Catàleg UB  Enllaç
Versió en línia (2004)  Enllaç

KOTLER, Philip. Marketing lateral : nuevas técnicas para encontrar las ideas más rompedoras. Madrid : Pearson Educación, 2011.

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

SERRANO GÓMEZ, Francisco. Gestión, dirección y estrategia de productos. Madrid : ESIC, 2005

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

TRIAS DE BES, Fernando. La reconquista de la creatividad . Barcelona: Ed. Conecta, 2014

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

VOGEL, Craig. M. The design of things to come : how ordinary people create extraordinary products. Upper Saddle River (N.J.) : Wharton School, 2005

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

MENDOZA ROBLEDO, Jaime. Empaques, envases y embalajes: El producto y su recipiente. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 2018.

Versió en línia (2018)  Enllaç

ARENAL LAZA, Carmen. Animación y presentación del producto en el punto de venta : UF0034. Madrid : Editorial Tutor Formación, 2018.

Versió en línia (2023)  Enllaç

HIDALGO, Justo. Idea, producto y negocio : tres pasos en la creación de productos y servicios digitales innovadores. Barcelona ; Madrid : Libros de Cabecera, abril de 2017.

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

PRANAM, Aswin. Product Management Essentials : Tools and Techniques for Becoming an Effective Technical Product Manager.  Berkeley, CA : Apress : Imprint: Apress, 2018.

Catàleg UB  Enllaç

BELLING, Shawn. Succeeding with Agile Hybrids : Project Delivery Using Hybrid Methodologies. Berkeley, CA : Apress : Imprint: Apress, 2020

KELLY, Allan. The Art of Agile Product Ownership : A Guide for Product Managers, Business Analysts, and Entrepreneurs. Berkeley, CA : Apress : Imprint: Apress, 2019.

PIEPER, Thorsten. User Innovation Barriers’ Impact on User-Developed Products : An Empirical Investigation on User Innovation Processes. Wiesbaden : Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden Gabler, 2019.

BIAZZO, S. y FILIPPINI, R., 2021. Product innovation management : intelligence, discovery, development. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. ISBN 3-030-75011-6.

Databases

Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación. Base de datos de consumo en hogares [online]. [Consulta el 18 de maig 2021]. Disponible a: https://www.mapa.gob.es/app/consumo-en-hogares/consulta.asp​

Journal

Cooper, G. R. (2019). The drivers of success in new product development. Industrial Marketing Management, 76, 36-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.07.005

Article

Salas-Arbeláez, L., García-Solarte, M., & Azuero-Rodríguez, A. (2018). Género del gerente e innovación: Caso empírico en Pymes de Cali. REVISTA DE INVESTIGACIÓN, DESARROLLO E INNOVACIÓN, 8(2), 223-235. https://doi.org/10.19053/20278306.v8.n2.2018.7962

Gabaldon-Quiñones, Patricia; Gimenez-Jimenez, Daniela. La importancia de la diversidad de género en las empresas innovadoras: un análisis del caso español. ICE. Sostenibilidad para la competitividad. Enero-febrero, 2020, nº912. https://doi.org/10.32796/ice.2020.912.6973

Del Giorgio Solfa, Federico;  Amendolaggine, Guido; Alvarado Wall, Ticiana Agustina. Nuevos paradigmas para el diseño de productos. Design Thinking, Service Design y experiencia usuario. Arte e investigación (N.° 14), e012, noviembre 2018.https://doi.org/10.24215/24691488e012

Cooper, Robert G. The drivers of success in new-product development. Industrial Marketing management, 76, pp. 36-47, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.07.005

Web page

Innovadores. Tendencias: el crowdsourcing gana peso en la ideación de nuevos productos. [online]. [Consulta el 18 de maig 2021]. Disponible a: https://www.ideas4allinnovation.com/innovadores/crowdsourcing-ideacion-productos/

Design Thinking España. Herramientas de Design Thinking​.[online]. [Consulta el 18 de maig 2021]. Disponible a: https://designthinkingespaña.com/herramientas-de-design-thinking

Hammond, M. (2023). Guía introductoria al product management. [online]. [Consulta el 16 de maig 2024]. Disponible a: Guía introductoria al product management (hubspot.es)

https://blog.hubspot.es/service/product-management  Enllaç

Ballarin, A. (2024). ¿Cómo crear estrategias producto con Inteligencia Artificial? [online]. [Consulta el 16 de maig 2024]. Disponible a: (13) ¿Cómo crear estrategias producto con Inteligencia Artificial? | LinkedIn

Stimulo. Design Agency. Inteligencia artifical en la creación de neuvos productos: Fases evolutivas e implicaciones. [online]. [Consulta el 16 de maig 2024]. Disponible a: Inteligencia Artificial en la Creación de Nuevos Productos: Fases Evolutivas e implicaciones - Stimulo

https://stimulo.com/es/inteligencia-artificial-en-la-creacion-de-nuevos-productos/  Enllaç

Posey, J. (2024). 10 best AI tools for product managers in 2024. [online]. [Consulta el 16 de maig 2024]. Disponible a: 10 Best AI Tools For Product Managers in 2024 | Motion | Motion (usemotion.com)

https://www.usemotion.com/blog/ai-tools-for-product-managers  Enllaç