What are the best ways for technical professionals to transition into Product Management?

The best product managers learn to detach themselves from technical solutions and focus on problem statements and impact. This is the biggest challenge engineers moving into product will have as having an excessive focus on tech puts barriers and limitations on your thinking

If you can, get an MBA. This can be the easiest path. Otherwise, look for a position within your company where your skills are already known. Learn and practice new skills that product managers need--work with your current product managers to help them by writing blog posts, visiting customers, reviewing product requirement documents, research results. Understand the sales cycle of products. Learn about loss reasons. Read: crossing the chasm.

Unlearning is the first step to transition. This is the toughest part for a good technical person to transition into product management. Usually a good technical person knows the product or solution too well. Being a technical manager would need to understand external perspective more than internal i.e., need of the market, bid and sales managers, competitors and vendor analysis, orientation of the organisation as a whole and their goals. Then comes collaboration with the Product Owners and the Project Managers which is internal facing. It takes more than these but, i think these are the most important ones.

A common trait that a technical person needs to develop is empathy, lots of it. It is through customer empathy that you can find insights on the real problems. A technical geek needs to appreciate that the most sophisticated technical solution is useless if the customer cannot use it. Lastly in product role you make a lot of softer trade offs unlike in engineering where these are hard (technical) trade offs

Transitioning into Product Management involves a blend of skill development and practical experience. Start by learning new skills through collaboration with current product managers, understanding the sales and business cycle. Choose learning resources that suit your style, whether YouTube videos or books like "Cracking the PM Interview." Master foundational concepts through literature, courses, and mentorship. Engage in hands-on projects and attend industry events. Shift your focus from technical implementation to strategic "what" and "why" questions. Prepare for interviews by practicing answers to typical PM questions, showcasing your analytical and strategic thinking.

You don't have to be a PhD in Product Management to become a product manager. You must know the basic concepts and that can be learned by using the free resources that are openly available on the internet. Depending on your learning style, choose the resource and learn. Someone might learn easily by watching YouTube videos or someone might enjoy learning by reading books. You would know your learning style. If you enjoy learning by watching YouTube videos, there are a lot of free video lessons available from Mind the Product, PM School, Pendo, etc. If reading books is your way of learning, then begin by reading "Cracking the PM Interview" book.

Stop jumping into solutions. An engineer's mind is trained to solve any problem it encounters. Not your job anymore. Instead start focusing on understanding the problem. Start asking what, when, how, who & why? Who and Why are very important questions. Keep USER as the primary focus of your problem understanding. Think from their angle. Try to use the product from an outsider's angle. You'll be surprised at how many features we take for granted as insiders are completely unknown to the users. Feature discovery is an art and a science of it's own. Also keep the business in mind too. User pays the business and business pays you. Both are important to a PM. Once you have this sorted, rest of the things will fall into place on their own.

Learning Product Management is mandatory, it’s a change of mindset. Detaching oneself from technical issues and transitioning into a product manager is challenging. Technical background always comes handy but focussing on the new role is required, think for the usability and perception of product, how you add value to the end user and make your product the best product instead of thinking about the technical limitations of your product!

Brushing up the basic Product management concepts is very important before stepping into a PM role. A mindset shift is also required as engineers/coders jump to solutions. However, the real PMing occurs when we spend time on the problem side. Also, empathy & stakeholder management are something that need to be developed and must-have skills for aspiring PMs transitioning from other domains

If you are a developer shifting to product management, first shift you need to make is in your mindset. You have to move from “Tech First” to “Customer and Business First” mindset. Often, tech folks get caught up in the implementation aspects even while contemplating solutions. This is a big No-No as it is bound to limit your “out of the box” ideas.

If you are just getting into product management I’d suggest do some mini projects on your own to have a bit of experience to get a taste of what you are getting at also, it will help build your portfolio. Go to platforms like “Forage” where they give you actual company based job simulations where you have to execute various job simulation while learning the skills that are required to complete them. This will get you engaged deeply and you will have fun on the way.

One good practice that aspiring/new PMs with strong technical background can strive towards is to take off the “how” hat and distance themselves from getting too involved in the details of the implementation and execution. While I acknowledge the importance of understanding the scope, tech feasibility and timeline of the engineering tasks, it’s crucial to showcase that you trust your development team to design and implement the best solutions. You are there to unlock them with the what and why, while they tell you the how ??

By far, the easiest way to gain experience is to step up in your existing teams. There's always more work than people available, and you can take on the role of a product manager to drive specific tracks forward. You must be willing to put in the effort. Do the necessary legwork to coordinate and move the needle. Get feedback on your progress. Learn and iterate. You'll show results and have experience under your belt soon!

To develop in product management, actively seek practical experience. Apply product management skills in your current role by engaging in user research, defining user stories, testing prototypes, and measuring project outcomes. Participate in cross-functional teams to gain insights from marketing, sales, or design departments, enriching your perspective. Alternatively, pursue product management roles within your current organization or elsewhere to showcase your skills and potential. This hands-on approach is crucial for honing your abilities and demonstrating your value as a product manager.

I would advise anyone who want to transition into product management, to go outside their normal "comfort zone" and attend meetings / interact with marketing and sales team, as this exposure is crucial in understanding what the prospective customers / market needs when it comes to a specific product. The newly acquired knowledge is crucial in developing the market requirement documents and product requirement documents. I would also keep in touch / volunteer with the engineering departments and understand the challenges / opportunities in addressing the current technical requirements, and being able to translate them into a realistic development and deployment plan.

Product Management is a skill you build overtime with practical experience. However, building your portfolio with right certifications and knowledge of the tools will enable you to stand out in any interview.

Building your portfolio and network is a crucial step in showcasing your product management skills and connecting with potential employers and mentors. Your portfolio should include projects, case studies, testimonials, and samples of your work, such as user personas, wireframes, or roadmaps. Simultaneously, growing a network of colleagues, managers, customers, and industry experts can provide valuable referrals, recommendations, and advice, enhancing your career opportunities and supporting your professional growth.

After studying these books, you can confidently pitch yourself as a full-stack product manager. Many enterprises today are developing tech-heavy platforms and products. With your technical background, you have an edge in understanding both the technical and creative aspects of product development. Non-technical individuals might struggle with system architecture or identifying potential development issues, but you can navigate these challenges smoothly. Seek out companies with a strong engineering focus. If opportunities arise within your current organization, take them. This familiar setting will ease your transition and bolster your confidence.

After you go through these books, try to pitch yourself as a full stack product manager. The interest piece is more and more enterprises are building platforms and products as well that are heavily reliant on tech. While as technical individual you can gain the soft skills and mental models needed to train your creative muscle, a non-tech guy would have a hard time defining a system architecture or even more crucial, see the pitfalls developers might make in taking your vision to life. So if anything, you would have an advantage. Look for companies that have a strong engineering presence. If in your org you see an opportunity, first option is to go for it. Would help you transition in a known stack and can boost your confidence.

Building a network (for example by getting involved into cross-functional projects, where technical and marketing teams collaborate) can help getting practical insights into the new role and be considered for future job openings.

Product management interviews are pretty well structured. While you should be ready to deal with unexpected questions, you should definitely give quality answers to the typical PM questions to stand out from the crowd. As a reference, the top 2 I usually ask as an interviewer (and what I feel is a great approach to answering them): 1. How would you improve product x? - identify the pain points for a segment of the target audience, brainstorm on solutions, lay out an iterative rollout plan and how progress would be measured 2. How would you increase metric y in product x? - typically the metric is acquisition focused. A great reply looks at it like a funnel, addressing each stage separately with quick and easy to deploy initiatives.

If you are selected for a first round of interview. Congratulations, you are already half the way to secure this job. The reminding half is depending on the story you narrate (which is the primary qualification for a product manager) to the panel members and the product managers you will met in the call. After doing the proper research about the company and its products and narrate the story of your experience and observations in the line of the connecting with the current employer products in an appropriate manner will be helpful in securing your dream job as a product manager in an esteemed organisation. You should be a very good negotiator as well to get the desired package #productmanagement #interviews

As I unwillingly became a product manager, I realized several things that are not mentioned here at all. It's not just a profession like a Project Manager or software developer. How can someone manage a product without its thorough knowledge? I regularly install our product, train people to use it, observe the features of competitors, and solve customer service issues. From all that I get the knowledge required to be the product manager of that specific product. If we now hire a professional product manager from the automotive industry, what will that person do with the medical industry product? With every single question (like setting a priority for a feature/ticket) he will need somebody's grounded opinion.

It is a super challenge that shift your role from on domain to another domain without the experience. try to do the internal transfer than find a different one on the market.

The key is to have customer empathy while answering any product-related question. In my opinion, product manager interviews differ for each organization. Some organizations want you to work on a business case study, some ask you to work on a product-related problem, some ask for guesstimates, while others simply discuss these things on the call and do not ask you to do any assignments.

One question is to deeply reflect on "WHY" you want to do this transition. Borrowing Marty Cagan's framework, you are moving away from feasibility risk (can this be built) to taking up Value Risk (whether customers will use it) & Business viability Risk (does this work for business). You need to get energized by the risks and possibilities. If you derive a lot of energy from customer conversations, thrive in ambiguity, highly curious & passionate about solving user needs - product role will fit you. My belief is "Find the purpose and the means will follow."

Considering you’ve already explained why you want to transition away from your current role, it’s crucial to understand what product management actually entails. Over the past year, two engineers joined my team, and both were astounded by the complexity of the job. They were surprised by the multitude of tasks and the depth of thought required for even the smallest details to become actual requirements. Additionally, the intense stakeholder management demands a high level of confidence. Transitioning out of solution mode—especially after working as an engineer for an extended period—poses its own challenges.

Browsing though the LinkedIn summaries of PM & JDs from the same industry would help you to identify the key responsibilities. List our the terms you see in the JDs, and read articles & use cases. Case study of different apps would help you to understand how they overcame a certain problem. These case studies would help in broadening the perspective about how you look after a product.

Roles such as technical PO or Data PO are an ideal first step. Most data and technology organisations either already have or are investing in their product teams. Have a data analysis/engineering background is hugely beneficial here. Building your product knowledge (courses, communities, conferences and books) is crucial.