Product Management in Practice

Product Management in Practice: A Real-World Guide to the Key Connective Role of the 21st Century

Product management has become a critical connective role for modern organizations, from small technology startups to global corporate enterprises. And yet the day-to-day work of product management remains largely misunderstood. In theory, product management is about building products that people love. The on-the-ground practice of product management, however, is often about difficult conversations, practical compromises, and hard-won incremental gains.

In this book, author Matt LeMay focuses on the CORE connective skills—communication, organization, research, execution—that can build a successful product management practice across industries, organizations, teams, and toolsets.

For current and would-be product managers, this book explores:

• Real-world tactics for facilitating collaboration and communication
• How to talk to users and work with executives
• The importance of setting clear and actionable goals
• Using roadmaps to connect and align your team
• A values-first approach to implementing Agile practices
• Stories that convey realities of product management in the field
• Common behavioral traps that turn good product managers bad

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Practice of Product Management
Chapter 2 The CORE Connective Skills of Product Management
Chapter 3 Showing Up Curious
Chapter 4 The Art of Egregious Overcommunication
Chapter 5 Achieving Stakeholder Alignment
Chapter 6 Talking to Customers
Chapter 7 Interpreting Metrics and Analytics
Chapter 8 Painless Prioritization and Realistic Roadmaps
Chapter 9 Navigating “Agile”: When to Follow the Rules, and When to Change the Rules
Chapter 10 What to Do When It’s All Falling Apart
Appendix Anonymized Stories from Working Product Managers