Resources for Product Managers

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Resources for Product Managers

Roadmap to Becoming a Product Manager

Milestone 1: Learn the basics of product

As you begin your journey into product, the first thing you need to do is immerse yourself in the world of product - that means understanding the basics of the actual role (not what you may have heard), reading essential foundational books on product, listening to podcasts, following key influencers and beginning to engage with them.

A. Understanding the role of a product manager

The role of a product manager has been written about extensively. In general, product managers operate at the intersection of business, design, and technology. Practically speaking, your job is to figure out the "what" (i.e. what is the right thing to build for customers) and then work with design, engineering, and other teams to figure out the "how" (how to build it the right way - meaning with the right customer experience, with efficient delivery, with quality, etc.).

As I said in the intro, I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. For topics that already have a lot out there, I will simply direct you to some of the best resources I've found. There's already been a lot written about the general role of a product manager. Here's an overview of the role of a product manager from Product Board that I like:

https://www.productboard.com/what-is-product-management/

Here it is important to acknowledge that while there are some basic skills that every product manager should have, the role can vary depending on your organization, context, etc.. In some organizations, it's more technical, others it's more marketing focused. Here's an example of some of the different categories of product managers. As you get more advanced in your career, you'll find that the tools and frameworks can be different depending on your context.

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For now, as an entry level PM, you don't need to worry too much about this. But just keep it in the back of your mind that there can be many different types of product managers.

B. The skills needed to be a successful PM

Before you can get a job in product, you will need to establish some foundational knowledge around product management. There is so much to learn, where do you get started? I like these two learning maps that were developed by

Shreyas Doshi⁠

. The first visual shows the different skills that a product manager will need to develop over time. Of course, no one person will be a master at all these skills, but great PMs tend to be well-rounded and touch on these different areas. I fully recognize that for any entry-level product manager, this list may seem overwhelming. Don't worry, you don't need to try and learn everything all at once, as you'll see in the second visual below.

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This second visual (also by

Shreyas Doshi⁠

) shows the key skills that matter most at each level (see the yellow boxes at the bottom for entry level PMs). For entry level product managers, your initial job will mostly be focused on executing on a feature or set of features. Execution means working with design and engineering teams to define the requirements and "ship" (or deliver) a feature. You may also be paired up with a more senior PM to do this.

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Again, I provide this learning map not to overwhelm you, but so you have a sense of the different topics that a product manager will cover over time. For now, what's most important is to focus on developing your execution sense, product sense, and analytical sense.

So how do you develop these skills?

C. Learning the fundamentals of product

Now that you have an understanding of the product role and the basic skills required to be successful, it is helpful to actually build some of these foundational skills. I believe the best way to learn product management is through hands-on experience along with understanding the basic theory and frameworks.

Many people ask me if it is worth it to take a formal product course or certification. To be clear, a product course or certification is not a hard requirement to get into product. In fact, most hiring managers I know value real-world experience over certifications. That's not to say a certification will hurt you, but it doesn't replace real-world experience.

Of course, that does not mean certifications and courses are useless; they can be a really good way to get a handle on the fundamentals of the job, especially the basic theory and frameworks, and also to connect with other product managers. Just make sure you realize that getting a certification by itself will not guarantee you a job in product. If you take a certification, it will still be primarily your responsibility to make sure you can find a job after the program...which means networking, continuing to practice your skills and build project experience, etc. I touch on these steps in the next section.

Here's a few options to learn the fundamentals of product, depending on your budget and preferred learning style:

Options to Learn the Basics

Options to Learn the Basics

Name

Self Directed

Live Course, Certification, or Bootcamp

Full-time MBA or Other Degree Program

Description

There are many free or low cost online product courses available for you to learn the basics of product.

These are bootcamps and courses that are typically offered by alternative institutions.

Full-time programs at traditional universities or institutions.

Typical Cost

$0 - $200

$500 - $2000

$10,000+

This is a good option if you are...

Highly self motivated

Like to learn at your own pace

Prefer instructor-led courses

Want to connect with other classmates / community

Exploring career options beyond product

Want greater access to employers / academic resources

Want to take time out of work

Want to connect with other classmates / alumni network

Recommended Options

Books:

Inspired by Marty Cagan

Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Courses:

Many online course options out there, curated list coming soon

Reforge - Product Management Foundations

General Assembly - Intro to Product Management

Many others

Many, highest ROI typically is from the top MBA programs

There are no rows in this table

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There are many courses out there already that cover product theory. My focus is on providing hands-on experience and opportunities to practice your skills because I believe that is the most important thing you can do to get a job in product. I cover this topic in more detail in Section 2, but if you're interested in either practicing your skills or getting a real-world project, sign up for our skill building community:

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Human Team⁠

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D. Speaking the language of product managers

An important part of your journey to becoming a product manager is to immerse yourself in the language and world of product people. By signing up for newsletters, following product thought leaders, listening to podcasts, reading articles, you can start to get a feel for what topics and challenges are top of mind for product people.

This will not only help you build your product sense, but it will also help you when it comes time for interviews and finding a job. There's tons of resources out there, but here's some links to product people and communities to follow:

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Social Media⁠

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Podcasts⁠

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Newsletters⁠

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Slack Communities⁠

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Phew, that should be enough to get you started. I'll add more resources periodically. Once again, the goal is not to master everything from the first day, but to start getting plugged into what people are talking about.

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Up Next:

Milestone 2: Get hands on experience⁠

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