Technical Program Manager's Handbook

Explore the different aspects of the technical program manager's role in the tech world and get ready to advance your career across the Big Five tech companies

Key Features

• Uncover the secret to becoming a successful technical program manager
• Learn some of the system design principles and architectural concepts necessary for a TPM
• Get up and running with a wide range of foundational program management topics

Book Description

The technical program manager (TPM) is a relatively new role born out of the need of the tech industry to have a specialized practitioner who speaks both tech and business and leverages this bilingual talent to get results that no one else can.

This book dives into what makes a TPM tick. You'll find out which project and program management skills will help you shine and how you can apply your technical skills for effective results. This book looks at the TPM role across the Big Five tech companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta) to help you discern the most effective skills to be successful no matter which company you work for.

Are you already a well-performing TPM looking to see what's next? This book identifies the career paths for a TPM at the Big Five to help you decide the next step for you.

By the end of this book, you'll have a clear understanding of how to be a TPM, along with a breakdown of the necessary technical and program management skills to develop a clear roadmap for your career.

What you will learn

• Investigate why a TPM is an important role in the tech industry
• Understand the purpose and uniqueness of the TPM role
• Discover what makes a successful TPM
• Navigate project management with your unique technical skills
• Explorer the career opportunities available for a TPM
• Compare the TPM role and responsibilities across the Big Five tech leaders

Who this book is for

This TPM book is for aspiring and established technical program managers in the tech industry. To get the most out of this book, you should have a basic understanding of the project management life cycle and be comfortable with technical concepts as we dive into basic system design and architecture landscapes in context to the TPM role and expectations.

Table of Contents

1. Product Information Document
2. Fundamentals of a Technical Program Manager
3. Pillars of a Technical Program Manager
4. Introduction to Program Management
5. Driving Towards Clarity
6. Plan Management
7. Risk Management
8. Stakeholder Management
9. Managing a Program
10. Career Paths
11. Introduction to the Technical Toolset
12. Code Development and System Design Expectations
13. System Design and Architecture Landscape
14. Enhancing Management Using Your Technical Toolset

Joshua began his journey in Project Management as a Technical Lead at Hewlett Packard in 2012 by learning the basics of managing a project and working with stakeholders.

In July of 2013, he made the career switch to pursue Technical Program Management at Amazon. During that time, He advanced in his career twice from TPM to Sr. TPM in 2017, and then to Principal TPM in 2022.