First 90 days as a Product Manager at a new company

Do's, Don'ts, Lessons learned

1/ Check your ego at the door. Resist the temptation to jump in and start changing things. That's harder than it sounds for most PMs. Whatever is in place, is there for a reason (right or wrong). Give time to get yourself familiar with product, team, company, and market first.

2/ Get to know the product, users and stakeholders. Use the product religiously. If you're not fitting in one of the user personas, find a way around it. Talk to customers yourself (unfiltered feedback matters). Get clear on the business strategy and how your product fits in.

3/ Talk to your team. These are the people that build the product with you. Their ideas and feelings about the product, processes, users, market, team, company or even whether they are happy with their lives or not will affect the way you work and collaborate with them.

4/ Set realistic expectations. Don't try to impress anyone with moonshot goals in the first few months. Set realistic expectations to avoid getting your first big miss early on. Focus on delivering value as early as possible, while not promising things you might not achieve.

5/ Review the market landscape. Your product is part of a wider market with competitors and substitutes. What are the solutions people use to remove their pain points and your product is trying to solve? Map the landscape, understand where you win and where you lose.

6/ Earn the trust of the team and company. Aim for one big win! First impressions are usually hard to change, so try to prove yourself through your contribution early on. To do that, also take advantage of your fresh eyes. Record and share what you have learnt with your team.