5 Tips Transitioning To Product Management From ANY Background in 2021 (1 of 5)
If you plan to jump into Product Management from another career, it can be a daunting task with a steep learning curve. My background is in software engineering, and while I was comfortable working in a cross-functional Agile team, there was plenty I didn’t know, that I didn’t know, about being a PM.
This post is the first in a series where I will cover 5 tips to consider when making the jump to the dark side!
Tip #1 — Learn About Product Management
Product Managers should understand:
- What it means for an organization to be product-led.
- How a Product Manager fits into a product-led organization.
- How a Product Manager role differs from other roles such as a Product Owner, Business Analyst, UX Designer, UX Researcher.
Once a basic understanding is in place, it is time to take a deep dive! I recommend starting with some online resources and training. Depending on where you are starting from it will likely take 4–6 months to build a solid foundation. Keep that in mind as begin the journey.Below is a list to get you started. Enjoy!
Product Leaders On Linkedin
- Product Leaders to Follow on LinkedIn 2021
- 7 Product Leaders to Follow on LinkedIn
- 15 Leaders in Product Management You Should Follow on Twitter
Organizations That Provide Free Learning Resources
- Product School (Free Resources)
- Product Plan (Learning Center)
- Product Plan (The Ultimate Guide to Product Management)
- Aha! (Product Management Introduction)
- Pendo (State Of Product Leadership)
- Product Collective
- PM 101 All Things Product Management
Online Training Courses
- Become a Product Manager (Cole Mercer)
- Advanced Product Management: Vision, Strategy, Metrics (Cole Mercer)
- Advanced Product Management: Leadership & Communication (Cole Mercer)
- Creating A Product-Centric Organization (Jay Clouse)
- Product Management: Customer Development (Jay Clouse)
- Product Management: Building a Product Roadmap (Teg Grenager, Elad Persky)
- Product Management: Building a Product Strategy (Teg Grenager, Elad Persky)
- Product Management: Launching Your Product ( Karen Holst)
- Product Innovation for Product Managers ( Karen Holst)
- Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design (Rob Sutcliffe)
Podcasts & Communities
Recommended Books
- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)
- Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love (Marty Cagan)
- Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products (Marty Cagan, Chris Jones)
- Product Leadership: How Top Product Managers Launch Awesome Products and Build Successful Teams (Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson, Nate Walkingshaw)
- The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback ( Dan Olsen)
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products (Nir Eyal)
- Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything (BJ Fogg)
- The Innovator’s Dilemma (Clayton M. Christensen)
- The Innovator's Solution (Clayton M. Christensen, Michael E. Raynor)
- Crossing the Chasm (Geoffrey A. More)