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Product Management Career Path

I’ve heard that the jump from Sr. PM to the “next level” (e.g Principal or Group PM) often comes with a steep learning curve. Is that true, and how would one prepare to solidify the right foundation to ease the transition preemptively?

5 Answers

Natalia Baryshnikova

Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Agility • February 16

The biggest struggle I have observed is related to transition from an individual level product craft growth to growing that of a group. Andy Grove in High Output Management said "Managers are responsible for increasing the output of their organizations and neighboring organizations they influence......Read More

798 Views

As a product manager, how to get better at framing and articulation? Any framework?

2 Answers

Catherine Bassett

Gorillas VP Product • March 9

The best way to get better is framing and articulation is to understand what works best for your organization based on lifecycle stage, market type and product type. You may want to try framing using a few different types of strategies to see what fits best. The most popular frameworks are: 1. ......Read More

440 Views

There are different frameworks to prioritize the product backlog. How practical is the use of such frameworks? How to manage top management expectations?

4 Answers

Natalia Baryshnikova

Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Agility • February 16

Ultimately, prioritization comes down to a chain of decisions. Regardless of the framework that you use, the question I see folks overlooking a lot is "who is the right person to make this decision". Is that you, the PM? Is that your manager? Or maybe, if the work relates to security vulnerabilit......Read More

849 Views

What are some of examples of ways you have been able to get promoted or support your colleagues to get promoted at the same company?

3 Answers

Melissa Ushakov

GitLab Group Manager, Product Management • March 7

It's important to be transparent with your manager about your career aspirations and then align on the criteria for a promotion. Create an actionable plan to close any gaps and track progress against it. I have had these conversations with my manager several times over the years to prepare for my......Read More

699 Views

What's something that you didn't know it took to become a Director back when you were a senior product manager?

Something that you didn't know you would need to do that you only realized later.

5 Answers

Anton Kravchenko

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management • February 2

Typically, promotions are the result of an individual's performance and business needs. In other words, it's hard to make a case for becoming a Director if your area can be covered by a single Sr PM, so both you and your product area need to grow. PM Directors are also people managers who hire ......Read More

657 Views

How do the skills you need differ across the different levels of product management?

4 Answers

Anton Kravchenko

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management • February 2

Let me break it down by covering 3 different levels of PMs: 1. Associate PM -- the bar here is that you have great critical thinking, clear communication, energy, and a mix of CS and business degree. 2. Senior PM -- in addition to the above, you must have a track record of previously ......Read More

633 Views

What do you think is top 3 skills a PM should have acquired to move to director level?

6 Answers

Natalia Baryshnikova

Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Agility • February 16

1. Storytelling. You need to be able to tie many disparate pieces of product work - user needs, business goals, technical limitaitons, competitive landscape, innovation opportunities - into a coherent, compelling narrative. A director can fill in the blanks in the following sentences with ease: "......Read More

762 Views

What's a typical product manager career path?

5 Answers

Anton Kravchenko

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management • February 3

There are different paths that each product manager takes, but the common ones I've seen are: 1. Joining a tech company as an Associate PM or an intern straight from college. For college grads, I suggest starting by connecting with other product managers (e.g. via LinkedIn) to better understand......Read More

1816 Views

As a hiring manager, what do the best product management candidates have in common?

12 Answers

Mamuna Oyofo, MBA

Shopify VP of Product • February 9

My personal take is that when I am speaking with strong product candidates, I can see a few qualities shine through in their story. For me, those are: 1. They are constant Learners/curious They are constantly asking questions and actively listening. They are readers and constant consumers of i......Read More

1235 Views

What pointed recommendations do you have on gaining influence as a new member of an organization or as a junior product management team member?

3 Answers

Natalia Baryshnikova

Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Agility • November 9

Your ability to create value quickly will depend on how quickly you can identify the problems and gaps in ways your organization operates today, and demonstrate progress towrds fixing them. Here's how you can do that: 1. When you join an organization, schedule introductory 1-1s with a wide ......Read More

2449 Views

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