How do I become a Product Manager?

I. Speak the language

Become familiar with commonly used phrases, such as:

  • Product development lifecycle (PDL)
  • User story
  • Roadmap
  • Prioritization
  • Pivot
  • Unique selling point (USP)
  • Target customer
  • Key performance indicators (KPI)
  • Minimum viable product (MVP)
  • Prototype
  • Mock-up
  • Two-pizza team
  • Lean
  • Agile
  • Technical debt
  • Objectives and key results (OKRs)

II. Network

Schedule 1 on 1's to better understand each team member's role in the product development process.

  1. Design
  2. Marketing / Advertising
  3. Sales
  4. Engineering
  5. Finance
  6. Legal

III. Read

Read the PM blog

Read the following books by some of the most well-known and referenced leaders. Be sure to check out my blog for more in-depth insights and learnings.

Simon Sinek
Product development

Nir Eyal
Product development

Eric Reis
Lean strategy

Michael Porter
Strategy

IV. Learn the tools

  • Jira / AHA! / Confluence
  • Balsamiq / Sketch / Figma
  • Slack
  • Excel
  • Word

IV. Get certified / take a class

  • Coursera
  • Product School
  • Certified Scrum Master / Product Owner Certificate
  • Product Management Certificate
  • PM Agile Certified Practitioner

Get started.