FAQ

Questions about Product Management

• What are the best free guides for a new product manager?

  • These free guides help you communicate well with your product team and stakeholders:

    • Business Fluency for Product Managers 15 business topics and free product manager resources on business acumen. From Prove Your Business Case.

    • Complex Learning Presentation Template for presenting complex technical material to stakeholders (article providing background on this - Simplify, Engage, Inspire)

    • Customer Conversations 5 steps to get customers to open up about a new feature and communicate your findings to your product team

  • This article on creating your Point of View shows examples that let you add value quickly: Don’t Stay Neutral - Show Your Point of View

• How do I handle stakeholders who demand more than the team can deliver?

  • Stay close to stakeholders and handle their concerns effectively:

    • Get stakeholders involved by solving their problems: Solve Stakeholder Problems

    • Develop a relationship with stakeholders: Collaborating with Stakeholders

    • Don’t give your stakeholders reason to bypass you: Break Out of Mushroom Management

• How do I use data to influence product decisions without authority?

  • It is key to use relevant data to set a direction:

    • Use storytelling with your data: Narrating your Data for Product Managers

    • Be familiar with your product financials: Using your Product Financials

    • Cultivate a relationship with your financial team: Working with Finance Successfully

Questions on Product Management Careers

• How should I prepare for a performance review as a product manager?

  • Product leaders evaluate your leadership skills and decision-making capabilities. A senior director of product management shared his evaluation framework here: What Senior Leaders Look For in Product Managers’ Performance

• What are the differences between a product manager and a senior product manager?

  • Product managers handle important product details that matter to customers. They learn from on-the-job experience while contributing to the execution of the product strategy. What It Looks Like to Be a Product Manager.

  • Senior Product Managers are the backbone of the product team. They head off product issues proactively with minimal help from leadership. They make a significant impact on their product's growth and strategy. They are sought out daily by their product team for assistance. They mentor their coworkers on their products and product management skills. What It Looks Like to Be a Senior Product Manager.

Questions About This Newsletter

• What is the difference between your free and premium PM resources?

  • Free Subscribers Get: Weekly real-world product leadership articles and access to foundational PM Resources.

  • Paid Subscribers Get:

    • Weekly Backstory: Paid subscribers get a backstory of a recent article every Friday. Each backstory explores what prompted the article, how I used the steps in the article, and my takeaways from the experience.

    • Product Management Resources: The Premium Resources Page contains product management Learning Paths, Templates, Guides and Quick Starts to help with product management problems.

    • Behind the Scenes: An early view of Builder PM projects that I’m working on.

    • 30-minute video call: Paid subscribers schedule a call to discuss any product management topic.