Mastering the art of Product Management: key skills and resources for success
At Vinted, Product Manager (PM) is responsible for Team’s Total Outcome management:
Defining the outcome that the team tries to achieve;
Understanding if the team’s output leads to the defined outcome.
If it’s not the case, a PM should adjust by pivoting, cutting scope, or in other ways amending the expected outcome. We find that there are 2 key aspects that are important for someone to thrive in the field.
Product sense. The skill of consistently being able to craft products (or make changes to existing products) that have the intended impact on their users. Product sense relies on 2 things:
Empathy to discover meaningful user needs
Creativity to develop solutions that effectively address those needs
Analytical thinking. An ability to prioritize, identify the correct tradeoffs and set your team up for success. As well as the ability to have a structured approach to problem solving.
A Product manager should excel or have the potential to become very proficient at:
Setting goals
Tracking Goals using measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Debugging to identify root causes if something goes sideways
Navigating a complex trade-off between a fast, cheap, good Product development triangle.
Here are some helpful resources for growth in the Product Management discipline.
1. Books for…
Product Management Craft
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love, by Marty Cagan
One of the main Vinted PM working principles: Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon by Colin Bryar, Bill Carr
On becoming a better manager: The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo
Business acumen:
The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christensen
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters
Analytical acumen:
Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip E. Tetlock, Dan Gardner
Engineering acumen
Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow by Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais
Leadership:
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink, Leif Babin
Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Malone Scott
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss, Tahl Raz
2. Newsletters:
3. Courses:
4. Videos
Product Management in Agile Methodology: Agile Product Ownership in a Nutshell
On Product Strategy: Intro to Product Strategy w/ Gibson Biddle, former VP of Product at Netflix
5. Articles
What is Product Management: Product Manager: The role and best practices for beginners
On the key PM principles: The First Principles of Product Management
On how do PMs thinking: The Power of Product Thinking
6. TV Series, more fun to familiarize with the tech world: