1. How to Become a Software
Product Manager
Karla Schönicke, June 2020

2. First step:
Make the conscious decision to
become a software product
manager

3. This may seem obvious. But far too often when taking a
new turn in life people are in a ‘trial'-mode, meaning: Out
of fear to fail you don’t truly commit to it, so if you fail
later, you can say: “Well I tried but it didn't work out.”
Sad thing is: By not giving it 100% and standing behind
that decision you sabotage yourself from the start.

4. Instead of self-sabotage take the decision that you are a
product manager now. Start moving in this direction by
changing the description in your online profiles and CV,
presenting yourself as a PM in meetups and starting to
look for relevant job ads.
The important thing is: Make it real by taking the first
step towards your goal.

5. Second step:
Find your “point of entry“

6. There is no formal education directly leading to the role
of a product manager. And the few existing online
courses teach very varying aspects of product
management (PM).
Therefore people usually tend to find their way into PM
from one of the following four areas of work: technical
side, business side, marketing side and client side.

7. Technical side
People entering from the technical side have either
studied computer science or they are self taught
developers. Usually they gained some work experience in
a company’s IT department or have been a freelancer for
some time before making the move from day-to-day
coding (focused on implementing ideas) to strategically
shaping the software (focused on finding and specifying
ideas).

8. Business side
The business roles most in touch with the product are
project managers (focus on budget, deadlines and
external clients or partners) and business developers
(looking for new business opportunities in new or
existing markets).
This means both roles know about the product features,
the target group’s preferences and buying power as well
as the economic performance of the product (KPIs). The
PM uses this knowledge to pinpoint which parts of the
product generate profits and which parts need
improvement.

9. Marketing side
Your path into PM can also originate in marketing, maybe
with a stopover in product marketing. The marketeer
knows everything about market trends, the brand, sales
cycles and which target group responds to which
message or feature. All this expertise comes in very
handy for a future PM role. Especially keeping an eye on
how to reach the intended target group of the product
before building it and not afterwards. In the end, your
product has to make a profit.

10. Client side
Sometimes people also switch from customer service to
PM as they developed a deep understanding of user
needs during their work as an agent and how users
interact with the software.
This knowledge constitutes a real asset in their PM role
since the most important task is being the voice of the
customer. But very often companies tend to have a
greater focus on just building software (output) than on
checking first, whether this software is hitting the
customers’ sweetspot (outcome).

11. Third step:
Find your competences that
match the skills needed as PM

12. As a PM you will have an interface role. You have touch
points with many stakeholders in- and outside the
company. Therefore your communication and
interpersonal skills are of utmost importance: you have
to keep all stakeholders in the loop, balance out
conflicting interests and transport ideas from the client
to the technical side and vice versa.
New product features need to be delivered on time.
Consequently PMs have to have solid project
management skills, especially concerning prioritization
and time management.

13. You will most likely work with an interdisciplinary team
(designers, developers, testers) but they will report to
their own department heads, so none is your subordinate.
Consequently, strong leadership skills will make it much
easier to hold your team together and create a productive
work environment for everyone.
When talking with clients and especially during the user
exploration phase you will have a clear advantage with
polished interviewing skills and additional languages.

14. Lastly, PMs need an entrepreneurial mindset since a lot
of the daily tasks include trying new methods, testing
prototypes, looking at numbers and evaluating them. The
PM role is very often one of an intrapreneur, the innovator
within the company.

15. PM skills summarized:
● communication and interpersonal skills
● project management skills
● leadership skills
● interviewing skills and additional languages
● entrepreneurial mindset
Take 5 minutes and think about:
Which of these skills do you already use in your job?
How could you strengthen them?

16. Fourth step:
Add further PM skills to increase
your fit

17. For PM-specific upskilling here are some great resources:
PM knowledge
Coursera - Product Management
Highbrow - Intro to Product Management
edX - Digital Product Management
Udemy - Become a Product Manager

18. When working with designers and developers, it is always
helpful to know their vocabulary and concepts:
Design knowledge
Coursera - Design Thinking for Innovation
Coursera - Introduction to User Experience Design
edX - Introduction to Design Thinking
Udemy - Usability Testing Boot Camp
Technical knowledge
Codecademy - www.codecademy.com
Freecodecamp - www.freecodecamp.org

19. How to become a Software Product Manager?
- Decide to become a PM and make it real.
- Enter the PM field from your current position.
- Position yourself with your current skills.
- Upskill & become a better PM than you were yesterday.
Quick summary

20. And remember: A good product
manager is always learning!
PS: You have questions? Feel free to contact me.