Product Management in Practice: A Practical, Tactical Guide for Your First Day and Every Day After

Product management has become a critical function for modern organizations, from small startups to corporate enterprises. And yet, the day-to-day work of product management remains largely misunderstood. In theory, product managers are high-flying visionaries who build products that people love. In practice, they're hard-working facilitators who bring clarity and focus to their teams.

In this thoroughly revised and expanded edition, Matt LeMay provides real-world guidance for current and aspiring product managers. Updated for the era of remote and hybrid work, this book provides actionable answers to product management's most persistent and confounding questions, starting with: What exactly am I supposed to do all day?

With this book, you'll learn:

• What the day-to-day work of product management entails--and how to excel at it
• Why no job title or description will resolve the ambiguity of your role
• How to bridge the false dichotomy between "strategy" and "execution"
• Why the temptation to focus on decks and documentation can be bad for your team (and for you)
• How to prioritize your time and pick your battles

Matt LeMay is an internationally recognized product leader, author, and keynote speaker. He is co-founder and partner at Sudden Compass, a collective of world-class strategists, product leaders, data analysts, and network-builders that has worked with companies like Spotify, Google, and Intuit. Matt has built and scaled product management practices at companies ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 50 enterprises, and has developed and led digital transformation and data strategy workshops for GE, American Express, Pfizer, McCann, and Johnson & Johnson. Previously, Matt was a senior product manager at music startup Songza (acquired by Google) and head of consumer product at Bitly. Matt is also a musician, recording engineer, and the author of a book about singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. He lives in Portland, OR, with his wife Joan.