They all say "It's hard to get started". We hope to become product managers, but the hardest thing is actually not knowing how to start. This article by the author just answers this question, and it is not just about products, but other industries and professions can also adopt this method.
Regarding this issue, we can actually break it into 3 aspects to look at:
What is fast?
What meets the standard of mastery?
and what exactly are the essential skills a product manager needs?
1. Speed: the shorter the battle line, the better
"In martial arts, the only thing that cannot be defeated is speed." When learning some basic skills, speed and efficiency are crucial. The more you procrastinate and the more you like to delve into it, the easier it will be to not continue.
To achieve speed, I personally prefer "it's faster to take your time". This is not a contradiction, but my realization after trying again and again and experiencing the shaky feeling. If you want to get up quickly, you must calm down in the early stage, put aside the easy-to-catch duckweed that floats on the surface, and look for the underlying and more essential things that support these skills.
1. First have a rough understanding of the system: choose authoritative and systematic information as much as possible. If you have this major, then you should know which courses are mainly studied in the university and what textbooks are used as a reference system for learning. This may be a bit academic, but it is indeed the most comprehensive and systematic.
If there is no such major, for example, the profession of product manager does not have a corresponding major, some professional certification systems are also good choices, such as PMP certification.
I am not trying to encourage certification, and I didn’t take it either. I just found the e-book and used its certification system as material for learning.
Additional explanation:
products actually have no learning boundaries. The more you learn, the denser the knowledge network will be, and the easier it will be to draw inferences in actual work, but relevant business knowledge comes first).
You can choose niche ones as supplements to form differentiated capabilities, but it is still recommended to focus on the mainstream and supplement the niche ones.
2. Understand relevant principles or authorities: Many people ignore the importance of theoretical learning and feel that this process is boring and has no practical output (useless). In fact, imitation can only take you from 1 to 1, but learning the basic principles can take you from 0-100.
Key theories for drawing prototypes: human-computer interaction theory, basic design principles (you can first study the design specifications of some large manufacturers to have an overall and systematic experience, and then learn about the principles, principles and even methodologies) (Additional explanation: you can draw prototypes, It does not refer to the use of tools, just like being able to use a paintbrush does not mean being able to draw)
The key theory for writing good documents: academic writing (Additional note: I have studied and written it when I graduated, and academic writing does not mean that it is obscure. Rather, it is deep and well-organized)
The key theory of expressive ability: structured thinking (one of the keys to being able to express clearly is the ability to think clearly)
3. Find the key points: What is often tested in students is the key point, and it is often used after work. That’s the key point (these will be written in the job requirements. If you combine a few more, you will almost know what the key points need to be mastered). For product managers who are just getting started, you can put in those things that you will not be able to use when you first enter the industry. Put aside your abilities first, focus on drawing prototypes, writing documents, and improving expression skills. Make prototypes and documents into a resume collection, which will make it easier to stand out.
2. Mastery: Set a measurable goal
wants Mastering a skill is inseparable from practice. You don’t have to practice too many times, but you must try your best to achieve your ideal appearance. For better practice results, please set a goal for yourself.
Because of our identity As a beginner, at this time I will look for a product that is related to the industry I want to enter, can be freely experienced for free, and has a lot of analysis/experience data as practice material.(If you can't find it, just find a public product with a good reputation from a well-known manufacturer)
○ Prototype:
First "copy" a product that you think is good (the process of copying and practicing drawing prototypes can also allow you to start from it) Get a comprehensive understanding of each small component before optimizing it, without being blinded by one leaf)
Then record and think about it (it is recommended to combine the interaction principles you learned and the analysis of the design specifications of major manufacturers)
Then optimize according to your own ideas, and give Give detailed reasons.
○ Document:
Take the time to write an in-depth functional experience report (do not stick to the template or scope, think about what businesses are involved, and speculate on why it is designed this way)
You can analyze the copied prototype
In-depth analysis is also about understanding the business and Accumulate ideas
○ Expression: According to the functional experience report, describe the needs and key points you want to achieve without writing, and simulate answering several product-related questions to yourself that are often asked in interviews
3. Basic skills: Continuous efforts
On the one hand, I I am pursuing "fast" and hope to gain something or feedback quickly, so when it comes to learning some basic skills of product managers, I will not stretch the front too long and give myself a week or two. After mastering some basic skills, go to test the waters, go to interviews, go to production, and use feedback to identify and fill vacancies in a targeted manner.
But on the other hand, I tend to continue to learn and accumulate in daily life, learn while using, and learn while using. In addition to hard skills, business knowledge is also included.
Whether you want to make yourself better or have other utilitarian purposes, you will find that there is always something to learn, but there is no need to be anxious about it, no need to be ashamed of knowing little, and even stop occasionally. It's not a big deal, but just don't be too impatient and think that you can do it overnight and learn it in one go. Let's be more calm. Everyone started out by just drawing prototypes. After experiencing real projects, they gradually experienced qualitative changes.
The direction of efforts in the accumulation stage: learn from the best professions/systems/standards in each segment. For example, for progress management, you need to understand how project managers operate. Product planning is like consulting consultants/managers. Learning; for demand analysis, systematically study the training system related to demand analysts; for system acceptance, you need to understand the testing training system and the requirements for the system that often appear in bid documents (such as Class III, CMMI-5, etc.), etc.
Finally, let’s make a summary:
The way to quickly master the skills of a product manager is to find the focus of the product manager’s work, quickly test the waters after initial mastery, and accumulate improvements in practice. As for how to find the key points, my suggestion is to first understand the system and find the high-frequency and interview requirements focus within the system.
will then continue to work hard in the follow-up and continue to learn from the best professions/systems/standards in each segment, thereby achieving an overall improvement in ability levels.
title picture comes from Unsplash, based on CC0 license.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-