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Product planner skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted experts

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.,

Matthew Lopresti

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical product planner skills. We ranked the top skills for product planners based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 9.2% of product planner resumes contained product development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a product planner needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 product planner skills for your resume and career

1. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how product planners use product development:

Directed new product development activities for marketing and engineering teams to deliver projects through demanding schedules.
Led product development teleconferences including engineers, management and product planners.

2. Product Planning

Here's how product planners use product planning:

Provided day-to-day product planning activities and tactical execution for Network Management performance products and projects.
Identified and communicated production conflicts to product planning as needed.

3. Product Line

Product line is a collection of similar or related products that may be under a single brand manufactured by the same company. It may include different varieties of a specific product of a brand which comes in different categories. In other cases, the product line may differ in some characteristics despite being from the same manufacturer.

Here's how product planners use product line:

Coordinated product line start-up activities from engineering to production ensuring smooth transition from new product introduction to volume manufacturing.
Presented weekly to the company officers providing in-depth productivity analysis, future forecasts and product line suggestions.

4. Logistics

Logistics is a complete organization and implementation of a problem. Logistics are often considered in a complex business operation, as some works need detailed plannings. Logistics are also used in military action.

Here's how product planners use logistics:

Interfaced with Logistics, Scheduler, Configuration Center, Traffic Coordinator and Inventory management.
Helped production sites facilitate production support issues with appropriate teams; DE, sourcing, supplier, logistics, etc.

5. MRP

MRP is an abbreviation of Material Requirements Planning and refers to the control system which is implemented in the planning and management of the activities related to manufacturing. Through MRP, manufacturers can easily schedule the production and it can also be used for inventory. MRP systems are mostly software-based but the process can also be carried out manually.

Here's how product planners use mrp:

Managed company MRP purchases including contractor and consultant contract review.
Conduct complex analyses and coordinate with internal departments to ensure sufficient inventory levels are maintained using SAP, ERP, MRP.

6. Product Management

Product management is a part of an organization's function that deals with product development, planning, pricing, forecasting, launching, and marketing the product.

Here's how product planners use product management:

Sourced order plans and ensured on-time shipments to customers, driving worldwide product management, including field inventory levels.
Supported the Special Services Product Team in all product management activities required for two network testing software products.

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7. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how product planners use lean manufacturing:

Lean Manufacturing * Make to order * Shipping/Receiving
Managed forecasting and inventory estimates for global business using lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles to keep within planned budget.

8. Expedite

Here's how product planners use expedite:

Call and email suppliers using Outlook Express to expedite 70NT seed planter parts.
Championed expedites for LINE DOWN situations for OEM customers

9. Product Roadmap

Here's how product planners use product roadmap:

Gathered and analyzed competitive intelligence to help product roadmap discussions, pricing, product positioning and end to end solution definition.
Partnered with sales, development, and manufacturing to document technology requirements and implement product roadmaps.

10. Production Control

Production control is the component of management that directs, plans, and controls the supply and processing of raw material. Any enterprise does this so that specific products get produced by a stipulated approach to convene an authorized sales programme. Production control is often executed from a control or operations room.

Here's how product planners use production control:

Managed capacity and production control in specific work centers.
Coordinate new product introduction to Dublin through Engineering, Production Control, Inventory Control, Finance, Quality and Cleveland.

11. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how product planners use erp:

Planned and procured system options, cables and test head material for mixed-signal test equipment using the ERP system Oracle.
Supported implementation of new ERP system (MFGPRO Eb2) related to engineering procurement systems and processes.

12. Inventory Management

Here's how product planners use inventory management:

Supervised and trained Jr. Planners, Manufacturing Leads, Material Handlers and Shipping Personnel in materials process flow and inventory management.
Collaborate with Forecasting and Inventory Management to facilitate the completion of the MPR for NA Marketing.

13. Competitive Analysis

Competitive analysis is the process of assessing your competitors to determine their strengths and weaknesses, It is a part of strategic management that enables one to identify the opportunities and threats a business can face in the market.

Here's how product planners use competitive analysis:

Conducted competitive analysis that increased platform standardization and eliminated redundancies, saving $1M in program costs.
Perform competitive analysis in determining and prioritizing feature requirements for existing and new product.

14. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how product planners use market research:

Organized strategic marketing and sales plans for telecommunication services while conducting market research and usability studies.
Facilitated and coordinated specialized market research and analysis from third party vendors.

15. Purchase Orders

Here's how product planners use purchase orders:

Oversee allocation of promotional and replenishment purchase orders by staff to ensure correctness and timeliness to optimize inventory levels.
Increased efficiency and productivity, eliminating large quantity purchase orders, eliminated excess and obsolete material.

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What skills help Product Planners find jobs?

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What skills stand out on product planner resumes?

Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Director, Human-Computer Interaction Program, Indiana University

In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.

What product planner skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Matthew Lopresti

Associate professor of Philosophy and humanities, Hawaii Pacific University

Captains of industry are often asked about the traits they look for in new hires. Critical thinking is always a must, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills.

These are the core competencies of the discipline of philosophy. Top-notch communication abilities begin with a depth of ability to understand nuanced, complex details, and then turn around and clearly communicate these complex ideas in easily digestible bits of information. It is no coincidence that students who graduate with philosophy degrees repeatedly dominate graduate and law-school entrance exams like the GRE and LSAT; they are often the sharpest thinkers with the quickest minds

What technical skills for a product planner stand out to employers?

Patrick Lindsay

Assistant Lecturer, Miami University

Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.

Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.

If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.

Do you want to know more?

List of product planner skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a product planner resume and required skills for a product planner to have include:

Product Development
Product Planning
Product Line
Logistics
MRP
Product Management
Lean Manufacturing
Expedite
Product Roadmap
Production Control
ERP
Inventory Management
Competitive Analysis
Market Research
Purchase Orders
R
Engineering Changes

Market Analysis
Production Schedules
BOM
Product Life Cycle
Executive Management
Market Trends
Material Availability
Competitive Landscape
Product Design
On-Time Delivery
Product Strategy
ROI
SharePoint
Capacity Planning
Customer Orders
Product Availability
ISO

WIP
Inventory Control
Customer Demand
Customer Feedback
Pricing Strategy
Windows
MPS
KPI
Cost Savings
Business Development
ECO
Delivery Dates
RMA
Party Vendors
Management System

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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