Badge earners who've successfully completed the General Assembly Product Management Short Course have learned in-demand project management skills to balance business viability, technical feasibility, and customer desire. They can effectively work through product lifecycle navigation, planning and prioritization, metric monitoring, and more. General Assembly Product Management Short Course grads have the confidence and credibility to lead cross-functional initiatives and bring physical and digital products to life.
Product management involves the strategic oversight of a product's development, determining its purpose, timeline, and features to be created by the engineering department.
Product development is the process of creating and introducing new or improved products to the market, encompassing stages such as ideation, design, engineering, testing, and marketing.
Strategic planning entails determining an organization's course by establishing objectives, devising tangible measures, and designating resources for lasting targets.
Customer research entails a methodical examination of customer preferences, behaviors, needs, and motivations to guide product development, marketing strategies, and enhance customer experience and satisfaction.
Market analysis is the process of researching a particular market to identify trends, opportunities, and competitors for informed strategic planning.
Competitive Benchmarking involves comparing a company's offerings and processes against industry leaders to identify best practices, improve performance, and gain a competitive edge.
User interviews refer to structured conversations with users, aiming to gather insights on their experiences, behaviors, and needs for product or service design and improvement.
User research involves studying target users' needs, behaviors, and motivations to inform product and service design and development.
Risk identification is the methodical recognition of potential threats that may endanger the success of a project or the achievement of organizational objectives.
Minimum Viable Product is a basic version of a product with essential features to test market viability and gather user feedback for future iterations.
Business roadmaps are tactical blueprints outlining a company's objectives, key priorities, and the actions required to attain goals within a defined schedule, directing focus and resource distribution.
Agile frameworks are adaptable methodologies that facilitate teams to respond to changing situations by utilizing incremental, iterative work processes and empirical feedback, promoting flexibility and customer focus in product development.
Feature-driven development is an agile method that centers on delivering client-valued features via iterative increments, emphasizing feature scope, domain modeling, and organized teams.
Prioritization refers to the process of evaluating the significance of tasks and allocating time and resources accordingly, focusing on the most urgent goals first.
Product Life Cycle Management is the oversight of a product's development, from conception to retirement, ensuring efficiency and competitiveness.
Stakeholder engagement is a strategic approach to interacting with, involving, and managing relationships with various stakeholders, promoting mutual understanding and beneficial collaboration.
Stakeholder management entails recognizing, ranking, and efficiently interacting with those who have a stake in a project or organization's results.
Communication is the process of exchanging thoughts, data, and emotions via speech, writing, and non-verbal cues, promoting comprehension and productive cooperation.
Collaboration refers to the process of cooperating with others to accomplish a shared objective, utilizing different viewpoints, abilities, and expertise via open communication and teamwork.
Design validation is the evaluation of a product's design to confirm it adheres to specifications, operates correctly, and successfully achieves its intended purpose.
Rapid prototyping is a process of creating and refining physical or digital models through iterative development, often using 3D printing or software simulation methods.
* Introduction to Product Management * Defined what a product is, the role of a product manager, and the key relationships PMs must manage. * Explored the product development cycle, stakeholder collaboration, and data-driven decision-making. * Strategic Planning & Market Understanding * Connected product planning and prioritization to business needs and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). * Analyzed competitor behavior, market trends, and customer research to identify opportunities and gaps. * Customer Research & Insights * Conducted and prioritized customer research to understand goals, needs, and pain points. * Summarized research findings to extract actionable insights for the product development process. * Product Development & Validation * Validated assumptions and identified risks using prototypes and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs). * Partnered with UX designers to leverage their deliverables in support of product goals. * Developed a product roadmap, organized epics and user stories, and prioritized features for frequent value delivery. * Agile & Collaboration with Developers * Learned the fundamentals of Agile frameworks, including key workflows and technologies used by development teams. * Collaborated effectively with developers by understanding their processes and how to support their work as a PM. * Continuous Discovery & Product Lifecycle Management * Gathered customer insights through ongoing experiments and interviews to continuously improve products. * Used product health data to evaluate lifecycle stages and guide future product directions. * Effective Communication & Stakeholder Management * Applied best practices for working with stakeholders, including clear and persuasive communication. * Prepared and delivered final presentations using professional presentation techniques.