How to Navigate Your First 90 Days as a Product Manager

Become a product manager in just 10 weeks from any background

Starting a new role as a product manager can be both exciting and overwhelming. The first 90 days as a product manager are crucial for setting the foundation of your success in the role. This period is about learning, building relationships, and starting to make an impact.

A strong start can accelerate your effectiveness and impact, while a poor one can set you back significantly.

This guide will walk you through a strategic approach to your first three months, helping you focus on the right areas at the right time. We'll break down this period into three distinct phases, each with its own focus and goals.

First 30 Days Focus: Learn and Listen

Your primary goal in the first month is to absorb as much information as possible about the product, the team, and the company. This is your time to be a sponge - soak up every bit of knowledge you can.

1. Understand the product

• Deep dive into the product's features and functionalities. Spend time using every aspect of the product. Try to break it, find its limits, and understand its quirks.
• Review product documentation, roadmaps, and metrics. Study past product decisions, understand the current direction, and familiarize yourself with how success is measured.
• Use the product extensively as both a user and an admin. This dual perspective will give you insights into both the user experience and the backend complexities.

2. Meet the team

• Schedule 1:1s with team members across departments. This includes engineering, design, marketing, sales, and customer support. These meetings are crucial for building relationships and understanding different perspectives on the product.
• Understand each team's goals, challenges, and expectations from product. This will help you align your work with their needs and identify areas where you can add value.

3. Know your customers

• Review customer feedback, support tickets, and user research. This data is gold for understanding user pain points and desires.
• Listen in on sales and customer support calls. This gives you direct insight into how customers perceive and use the product.
• If possible, directly interact with a few key customers. Nothing beats first-hand conversations for understanding user needs.

4. Understand the market and competition

• Study market trends and competitor products. Know where your product fits in the larger ecosystem.
• Analyze the company's positioning and unique value proposition. Understand what sets your product apart and why customers choose it over alternatives.

5. Learn the processes

• Familiarize yourself with the product development lifecycle. Understand how ideas become features, from conception to release.
• Understand how decisions are made and priorities are set. Know the key stakeholders and the criteria used for decision-making.

Next 30 Days Focus (30-60): Analyze and Plan

In the second month, start synthesizing your learnings and developing your strategy. This is where you begin to form opinions and create plans based on your observations.

1. Identify key metrics

• Determine which metrics are most important for your product's success. These could include user acquisition, retention, revenue, or specific feature usage.
• Understand current performance and set initial goals. Benchmark where you are now and where you want to be.

2. Conduct a SWOT analysis

• Assess your product's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This framework helps you think strategically about your product's position.
• Use this to inform your strategic thinking. The SWOT analysis should guide your product strategy and prioritization.

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