So you’re new to the Product Management role and there’s a couple of words being used casually around the workplace which you don’t quite know the meaning of. Here’s the article you turn to for the definition of these words as you prepare for your new role or the article that you run back to after a couple of days in the role and you need to know what the heck they're talking about.

Terms All Aspiring Product Managers Should Know

Latency 

aka delay. This is the time between initiating a request for data and receiving an answer. Naturally, this means that low latency is good and a sign of positive UX while high latency is bad and needs to be fixed. Ideally, latency should be 0.

Microservices 

This is the approach to building applications in Software Development used more commonly now, where the components of the program are distributed and loosely coupled so that they each have their own independent database and one team’s changes do not break the entire app. This makes it possible to make changes or fixes to a concentrated part of an app without harming other parts.

Application Programming Interface (API) 

APIs are a set of rules used in software programs to facilitate communication and interaction between the systems. Simply put, APIs allow two systems to communicate with each other. For example, in Microservices explained above, each one of the independent components of the app communicates over well-defined APIs allowing them to work independently, but still as a single unit. APIs allow for such interactions while ensuring speed and security.

Cloud 

You don’t need to be a Product Manager to be interested in this definition as this is a major development in tech that affects almost everyone. The cloud refers to a virtual storage space where people can safely store their digital resources such as their files, software, and applications. It is powered by the internet and it allows users to save physical space on their devices by storing these needs in virtual databases.

MVP

An MVP or a Minimum Viable Product is the stage of a product’s development where it has just enough features to satisfy the customers needs. At this stage, it answers the customer’s demands but possibly lacks much of the frill and fuss that ít could possess in the long run. At this point, the product can be shipped and made available to users who will in turn give feedback that the team will use to make future iterations of the product. 

Use Case

In building a product that the user or client has not come specifically to demand and explain in detail, Product Managers often create hypothetical scenarios to envisage why and how the target user of a product will interact with the product. During the scenario, they gauge how well this product meets the user’s needs, how convenient it is for the user etc. This hypothetical scenario is referred to as a use case.