Over the last decade, digital features and value propositions have been inserted into many more products and services. But making sure that happens coherently at scale isn’t easy. A new kind of professional role has emerged to drive the change forward. DPMs have been appearing everywhere from banks to fast-food restaurant chains. We explore the contours of this critical capability and the CIO’s role in helping embed it into the organization.

This episode explores:

• What is a digital product, really? (1:33)
• What is digital product management? (2:53)
• What usually triggers companies to start employing digital product managers (DPMs)? (5:42)
• What should a CIO be doing to initiate or advance digital product management? (8:58)
• What do DPMs do practically day to day? (10:59)
• Where do DPMs live on the org chart? (13:49)
• Where do people hire DPMs from? What backgrounds do they come from? (15:54)

Erin Neus-Cheong is a senior director analyst in Gartner’s Executive Leadership of Digital Business group. Erin covers digital product strategy, product leadership and product-centric organizations. She is an experienced product leader with significant expertise in product-led transformation and the transition to a product-led organization.