Hey there,
It's been a while I wrote a detailed newsletter. So here is one.
Before we jump into it, I have a quick ask.
Can you please select one option below and let me know the number of years of experience you have as a product manager.
With this information, I will be able to share learnings with you that are 100% relevant to your career journey.
With that, let's get to today's post.
The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Your First 90 Days as a Product Manager
Early in my career, I switched jobs fairly often.
Every time I switched, I felt as if I had to start product management from scratch -- understand the systems, the product, the people, and so on.
After a while, I realised I was doing the same steps every time. But I was so unstructured in my actions, that doing it took a lot of time. More importantly, it took a lot of pain and sweat.
After 5-ish years I started seeing clear patterns. Patterns of things that if I did in the first few months, creating impact became easier. And the opposite was also true. If I did not do these things, I found it hard to get noticed and create impact.
In a nutshell, the first 90 days as a PM are absolutely critical. This make-or-break period sets the foundation for your understanding of the product, relationships with stakeholders, and ability to execute effectively. Without a strategic approach to these 90 days, you risk missing opportunities to create a lasting impact.
I created this comprehensive guide to help you navigate and own the first 30, 60, and 90 days as a new product manager with confidence. By following this actionable roadmap, you'll gain a deep understanding of your product, build strong relationships, and start delivering impactful solutions from day one – setting yourself up for long-term success.
The First 30 Days: Immerse Yourself in Product Knowledge
The initial 30 days are all about learning – learning about your role, the users, the goals, the teams, and the processes that drive the product. This in-depth knowledge is essential for making informed decisions and contributing effectively to the product's success.
Understand Your Role and Definition of Success
Understand your manager's definitinon of the role and the success for your role. This will ensure that you're working towards the right goals from the start.
Get to Know the Users (and Non-Users)
Understanding the users, non-users, and how they interact with the product is critical for building solutions that truly resonate with their needs. Leverage data, user interviews, and documentation to gain this invaluable insight.
Identify Product, Team, and Organizational Goals
Aligning your efforts with the product, team, and organizational goals is crucial for driving meaningful progress. Learn about the larger goals of your product, team, and organization. Then understand how your role contributes to achieving these goals, and use them as a compass for your work.
Master the Product's Capabilities and Functionality
Developing a deep understanding of the product's capabilities, limitations, and functionality will empower you to make good decisions and provide valuable insights. Use the product extensively and work with engineers and other PMs to gain this knowledge.
Map Key Stakeholders and Their Roles
Identifying key individuals, teams, and their roles within the organization is critical. It will help you know the people and teams who can support or hinder your success.
Grasp the Technology Behind the Product
Obtaining a high-level overview of the technology and systems that will give you a holistic understanding of the product's architecture and enable you to make more informed tradeoffs and decisions.
Learn Processes, Tools, and Ways of Working
Familiarizing yourself with the organization's ways of working, communication styles, tools, and processes will ensure that you can operate efficiently and contribute effectively to the team's efforts.
Other Learnings
- 20 learnings that transformed by career
- My top resources on understand "Good" decisions, and how to make them.
