PM Career Skills Map:
Analytical, Execution, Product Sense
Commercial Sense
PM Mentorship & Management
Product Vision & Strategy
Organizational Design & Development
Company Strategy & Execution
Tech, Design Sense is nice
Influential Communication & Critical Thinking is vital
Analytical, Execution, Product Sense
Commercial Sense
PM Mentorship & Management
Product Vision & Strategy
Organizational Design & Development
Company Strategy & Execution
Tech, Design Sense is nice
Influential Communication & Critical Thinking is vital

How does the Product Management Career Skills Map relate to role, scope, career progression?
Entry-level PM → CPO
Product Feature → All Products
Impossible to accurately fit to every situation, but here’s a model:
Entry-level PM → CPO
Product Feature → All Products
Impossible to accurately fit to every situation, but here’s a model:
Influential Communication & Critical Thinking are not pictured above for simplicity, but they must be constantly honed for each higher level.
They are the walls of the vessel.
Everything can (and often does) fall apart without Influential Communication & Critical Thinking.
They are the walls of the vessel.
Everything can (and often does) fall apart without Influential Communication & Critical Thinking.
How to develop PM Career Skills?
First understand the components of each PM skill area.
And consciously choose to grow in each of the components:
First understand the components of each PM skill area.
And consciously choose to grow in each of the components:
Important to develop these component skills through
A. on-the-job experience
AND
B. working in your own time
Most PMs do A but a devotion to B differentiates the most successful PMs.
For B, the skills can be learned through reading & side-projects. Reading itself can be huge.
A. on-the-job experience
AND
B. working in your own time
Most PMs do A but a devotion to B differentiates the most successful PMs.
For B, the skills can be learned through reading & side-projects. Reading itself can be huge.
Why this PM Career Map?
PM Role Definitions useful but can be too high-level to prompt concrete action.
PM Ladders useful but are too detailed & often behavior-focused.
A PM Career Map bridges this gap: succinct, repeatable, & can be directly translated to self-improvement steps.
PM Role Definitions useful but can be too high-level to prompt concrete action.
PM Ladders useful but are too detailed & often behavior-focused.
A PM Career Map bridges this gap: succinct, repeatable, & can be directly translated to self-improvement steps.
Apply the standard caveats that this is a model, created with “product companies” in mind, models are useful but don’t work in every conceivable situation
If it doesn’t work wholesale for your current situation, maybe look into how to adapt it so that it improves the status quo.
If it doesn’t work wholesale for your current situation, maybe look into how to adapt it so that it improves the status quo.
I hope this work helps clarify this complex topic a bit
Lots more to write about & discuss:
Best books & resources for each skill
Picking the right projects at work
Most important traits for PM success (skills ≠ traits)
PM Management path
Do stay tuned & share your feedback
Lots more to write about & discuss:
Best books & resources for each skill
Picking the right projects at work
Most important traits for PM success (skills ≠ traits)
PM Management path
Do stay tuned & share your feedback
