Product Management
repo: dend/awesome-product-management
category: Learn
related: Engineering Strategy
Awesome Product Management
A curated list of awesome resources for product/program managers to learn and grow.
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Who's a product manager?
By definition, a product manager is an individual who drives the product vision and has a deep understanding of customer needs. PMs generally are considered to be at the intersection of the business, technology and design spaces - they are the experts in the problem space, and are able to learn and iterate quickly to deliver valuable experiences to consumers.
Contents
Tools
In day-to-day activities, product managers need to rely on tools to help them make sense of the information and insights they're handling. The list below represents some of those tools. A product manager doesn't need to use every single one of them, and neither is one better than the other. These are just pointers to some of the instruments that can be used to be effective at organizing and sharing PM expertise. None of them, standalone, will make one a better product manager.
Note-taking & Knowledge Management
Tools in this section help product managers capture meeting notes, ideas, research, and product knowledge efficiently.
OneNote
Efficient note-taking with superior organizational capabilities. Integrates easily with team-based workflows, where notes from the same notebook can be shared with many individuals.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Cost | Free |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| URL | https://onenote.com |
Bear
Note-taking in Markdown format, with tag-based organizational capabilities.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Shiny Frog |
| Cost | Freemium ($16/yr subscription available) |
| Platform | macOS, iOS |
| URL | https://bear.app/ |
Obsidian
Obsidian is a private and flexible writing app that adapts to the way you think. From personal notes to journaling, knowledge bases, and project management, Obsidian gives you the tools to come up with ideas and organize them. Turn your notes into an online wiki, knowledge base, documentation, or digital garden.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Obsidian, Inc. |
| Cost | Paid if used commercially ($50/user/year) |
| Platform | iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| URL | https://obsidian.md/ |
Notejoy
A collaborative note-taking application that is simple, intuitive and allows you to focus on the notes rather than the process around those.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sachin Rekhi, Ada Chen Rekhi |
| Cost | Freemium ($0-12/month) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| URL | https://notejoy.com |
Notion
All-in-one workspace for teams and individuals.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Notion Labs |
| Cost | Freemium (4/mo/user individual,8/mo/user teams) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| URL | https://notion.so/ |
Task & Project Management
Use these tools to manage team tasks, backlogs, sprints, and collaboration efficiently across product development cycles.
Trello
A visual project and task management tool based on Kanban boards. Suitable for lightweight workflows and collaborative product planning. Offers integrations with Slack, Jira, GitHub, and more.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Atlassian |
| Cost | Freemium ($9.99/mo+ subscriptions available) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| URL | https://trello.com/ |
Taiga
Taiga is a project management tool for multi-functional agile teams. It has a rich feature set and at the same time it is very simple to start with through its intuitive user interface.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Kaleidos |
| Cost | Free (self-hosted) or Freemium |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Web |
| URL | https://taiga.io |
Tenzu
Lightweight project management tool for agile teams. Features workspaces creation and kanban boards.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | BIRU |
| Cost | Free (self-hosted) or Free contribution |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://tenzu.net |
To-Do
A tool to quickly manage "to-dos".
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Cost | Free |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
| URL | https://to-do.microsoft.com/ |
Taskade
Get work done with collaborative task lists, notes and video chat. Taskade is beautifully designed for remote teams.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Taskade Inc. |
| Cost | Freemium ($0-10/month) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome Extension, Firefox Addon, Web |
| URL | https://www.taskade.com |
Design & Prototyping
Design interfaces and prototypes to visualize and test user experiences before development begins.
Balsamiq
Wireframing tool that allows building mocks without a strong focus on details. Extremely useful for situations where you don't want others to over-index on pixels and instead focus on the content.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Balsamiq Studios, LLC |
| Cost | Paid ($89/person - permanent license) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, web |
| URL | https://balsamiq.com/ |
Sketch
Mocking and prototyping made efficient. Offers many downloadable components that can help one create high-fidelity designs for websites, apps and other experiences.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Bohemian B.V. |
| Cost | Paid ($99/year) |
| Platform | macOS |
| URL | https://www.sketchapp.com/ |
Figma
A better way to design. Design, prototype, and collaborate all in the browser—with Figma.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Figma |
| Cost | Freemium ($0-45/month) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, web |
| URL | https://www.figma.com |
Product Roadmapping & Feedback
These tools help PMs collect feedback, define product direction, and share strategic roadmaps.
productboard
productboard is the product management system that helps you understand what users need, prioritize what to build, and rally everyone around your roadmap.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | productboard |
| Cost | Paid (starts at $49/month) |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://productboard.com |
logchimp
LogChimp allows you to track your customers feedback to build better products.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | LogChimp |
| Cost | Free (Open source) |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://logchimp.codecarrot.net |
Hellonext
Hellonext helps you close the user feedback loop. Comes with feedback portal, roadmap, and changelog.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Hellonext, Inc. |
| Cost | Freemium ($0-99/month) |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://hellonext.co |
Screeb
Screeb is a product-led user research platform helping product teams to build better products by helping understand their users.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Screeb, Inc. |
| Cost | Freemium (start $0-39/month) |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://screeb.app |
OKRs & Outcome Tracking
Track team goals and outcomes, not just output. These tools help PMs maintain focus on measurable impact.
Tability
A lightweight OKR tracking tool that helps product teams stay focused on outcomes, not outputs. Great for async check-ins and remote teams.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | Tability |
| Cost | Freemium (Paid plans from $35/mo) |
| Platform | Web |
| URL | https://tability.io |
Articles
There are a lot of folks that write great content that can help those wanting to excel and grow in the product management field to gain new perspectives. Treat the list below as an amalgamation of opinions, experiences, and patterns rather than as a definitive "list of things to always do."
Product Fundamentals & Philosophy
Core principles and mental models that shape effective product thinking and decision-making.
- How to build great products - By Slava Akhmechet.
- If your product is Great, it doesn't need to be Good - By Paul Bucheit.
- Finding and Fostering Great Product Sense - By Stay SaaSy.
- Want To Build An Incredible Product? Strive For The Delta Of "Wow" - By Wayne Chang.
- Quality is not a tradeoff - By Julie Zhuo.
- The Black Box of Product Management - By Brandon Chu.
- Product Management Mental Models for Everyone - By Brandon Chu.
- Great Product Managers are "Outcome Thinkers" - By Max Bennett.
- Do you really understand the concept of product value? - by Hubert Palan.
- My product is my garden - By Herman Martinus.
- Solution-space taste - By Grant Slatton.
- The Tools Don't Matter - By Ken Norton.
- Building a Great Product Management Organization - By Melissa Perri.
- Relentlessly Resourceful - By Paul Graham.
- How to Be an Expert in a Changing World - By Paul Graham.
- Hackers and Painters - By Paul Graham.
- The Product Manager - By Paul Graham.
Product Development & Process
Methodologies, processes, and best practices for building and shipping products effectively.
- How to Deliver More Software Projects on Time - By Mark Suster.
- Shipping is a Feature: Some Guiding Principles for People That Build Things - By Michael Copeland.
- The Time Value of Shipping - By Brandon Chu.
- A Minimum Viable Product Is Not a Product, It's a Process - By Jim Brikman.
- Painless Functional Specifications – Part 1: Why Bother? - By Joel Spolsky.
- Painless Functional Specifications – Part 2: What's a Spec? - By Joel Spolsky.
- Painless Functional Specifications – Part 3: But… How? - By Joel Spolsky.
- Painless Functional Specifications – Part 4: Tips - By Joel Spolsky.
- One door at a time - By Jason Fried.
- Do Things that Don't Scale - By Paul Graham.
- Speed as a habit - By Dave Girouard.
- A Comprehensive Guide To Product Design - By Nick Babich.
- Don't Give Your Users Shit Work - By Zach Holman.
- Don't start a tech-enabled service - By Waseem Daher.
Product Strategy & Planning
Strategic thinking, roadmapping, prioritization, and long-term product planning approaches.
- 12 Things about Product-Market Fit - By Tren Griffin.
- Understanding How The Innovator's Dilemma Affects You - By Mark Suster.
- OKRs and Product Roadmaps - By Roman Pichler.
- Product OKRs: Driving Outcomes Over Outputs - By Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia.
- Deadlines - By Brandon Chu.
- Ruthless Prioritization - By Brandon Chu.
- How to focus on what's important, not just what's urgent - By Alice Boyes.
- Mud Rooms, Red Letters, and Real Priorities - By Merlin Mann.
- Good strategy understands affect, not just cognition - By Vaughn Tan.
- Seven strategy tensions … and misunderstandings - By Vaughn Tan.
- Is or Is Not The Opposite Stupid on its Face? - By Roger Martin.
- Virtuous Cycles, Platforms, Flywheels, Snowballs, and Tidal Waves - By Charlie Kindel.
- Is your company product-led, sales-led, or marketing-led? - By Philipp Cannons.
- On narratives - By Charlie Kindel.
- Navigating Mid-Success - By Sam Altman.
- Startup Exercise: What can't be solved with money? - By Jason Cohen.
- Product Purgatory: When they love it but still don't buy - By Jason Cohen.
- Product Discovery Basics - By Teresa Torres.
- Remote Product Management Tips - By Atlassian.
- How to Craft Your Product Management Team Structure at Every Stage - By Nikhyl Singhal.
Customer Research & User Experience
Understanding users, conducting research, and designing better customer experiences.
- How to Listen to Customers - By Ken Norton.
- The Product Manager's Guide to UX Research - By Katryna Balboni.
- Effective User Interviews - By Product HQ.
- Story-Based Customer Interviews - By Teresa Torres.
- Product Management Skills: User Research - By Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia.
- The Quintessential Guide For Building An Unforgettable First-time User Experience - By Wayne Chang.
- User Onboarding Examples: Analyzing 6 Real-Life Onboarding Flows - By Shanelle Mullin.
- Inside the 6 Hypotheses that Doubled Patreon's Activation Success - By Brian Balfour.
- How to Use the Google HEART Framework to Measure and Improve Your App's UX - By Emily Bonnie.
Team Collaboration & Leadership
Working effectively with cross-functional teams, leadership, and communication strategies.
- How to Work with Designers - By Julie Zhuo.
- How to Work With Software Engineers - By Ken Norton.
- The Product-Minded Software Engineer - By Gergely Orosz.
- Being Glue - By Tanya Reilly.
- The work is never just "the work" - By Dave Stewart.
- You Won't Regret Positive Feedback - By Zach Holman.
- Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule - By Paul Graham.
- The Art of Persuasion Hasn't Changed in 2,000 Years - By Carmine Gallo.
- Mastering Effective Communication as a Product Manager - By Sachin Rekhi.
- The Top 10 Deliverables of Product Managers - By Sachin Rekhi.
- Coaching Tools – The Plan - By Marty Cagan.
- Remote teams - By Notion Team.
- The Dos and Don'ts of Mentoring in Product - By Eira Hayward.
- Rickover's Lessons - By Lily Ottinger and Charles Yang.
- What is Good Product Strategy? - By Melissa Perri.
- Fell in a hole, got out - By Tony Stubblebine.
Product Metrics & Analytics
Measuring success, understanding data, and making data-driven product decisions.
- How to Calculate Customer Lifetime Value - By Clint Fontanella.
- Analytics should be an Assembly Line - By Taylor A. Murphy.
- SSEBITDA—A steady-state profit metric for SaaS companies - By Jason Cohen.
- In-depth: The AARRR pirate funnel explained - By PostHog.
Career Development & Skills
Professional growth, skill development, and career advancement in product management.
- [How Am I Going To Move My Product Forward Today?](https://www.sachinrekhi.com/how-am-i-going-to-move-my-product-forward-today) - By Sachin Rekhi.
- PM at Microsoft - By Steven Sinofsky.
- Hiring Your First Product Manager - By Steven Sinofsky.
- Relentlessly Resourceful - By Paul Graham.
- How to Be an Expert in a Changing World - By Paul Graham.
- The dark side of expertise - By Jake Edge.
- So You Wanted to be a Product Manager - By Scott C. Reynolds.
- Breaking into Product Management — Should you even consider it? - By Shubhi Saxena.
- Is It Possible to Work Remotely as a Product Manager? - By Roy Cobby.
- It's Time to Fight for a Dual Product Management Career Path - By Ken Norton.
- [Great PM Interview Answers Include Tradeoffs. Here's How.](https://www.tryexponent.com/blog/the-key-to-a-successful-pm-interview-answer-tradeoffs) - By Sushanth Raman.
- [A Pyramid-shaped Career](https://jackdanger.com/pyramid-shaped-career/) - By Jack Danger.
- Career advice in 2025 - By Will Larson.
- How to be more agentic - By Cate Hall.
- On agency - By Henrik Karlsson and Johanna Karlsson.
Growth & Marketing
Product marketing, growth strategies, and customer acquisition approaches.
- How We Got Our First 2,000 Users Doing Things That Don't Scale - By Ryan Hoover.
- How To Get Media Coverage for Your Brand - By Michael Keenan.
- Guy Kawasaki, proto-evangelist - By Dave Winer.
- The Art of Evangelism - By Guy Kawasaki.
Books
Product Management Fundamentals
Essential reading for understanding core product management principles, roles, and responsibilities.
- Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love - By Marty Cagan.
- EMPOWERED: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products - By Marty Cagan, Chris Jones.
- Transformed: Moving to the Product Operating Model - By Marty Cagan.
- Escaping The Build Trap - By Melissa Perri.
- Product Operations: How successful companies build better products at scale - By Melissa Perri and Denise Tilles.
- Intercom on Product Management
- Building Products for the Enterprise - By Blair Reeves and Benjamin Gaines.
- The Product Book - By Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia and Josh Anon.
- Decode and Conquer - By Lewis C. Lin.
Product Strategy & Planning
Books focused on strategic thinking, roadmapping, prioritization, and long-term product planning.
- Good Strategy, Bad Strategy - By Richard Rumelt.
- The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses - By Eric Ries.
- The Four Steps to the Epiphany - By Steve Blank.
- The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company - By Steve Blank and Bob Dorf.
- Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers - By Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.
- Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want (Strategyzer) - By Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur.
- The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change) - By Clayton M. Christensen.
- Crossing The Chasm - By Geoffrey A. Moore.
- Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs - By John Doerr.
- Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - By Al Ries and Jack Trout.
Customer Research & User Experience
Understanding users, conducting research, and designing customer-centric products.
- Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value - By Teresa Torres.
- The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you - By Rob Fitzpatrick.
- The Customer-Driven Playbook - By Jessica Rich and Travis Lowdermilk.
- Evidence-Guided: Creating High Impact Products in the Face of Uncertainty - By Itamar Gilad.
- The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition - By Don Norman.
- Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research - By Mike Kuniavsky.
- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - By Steve Krug.
Product Development & Process
Methodologies, processes, and best practices for building and shipping products.
- The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback - By Dan Olsen.
- Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days - By Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz.
- Shape Up - By Ryan Singer.
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products - By Nir Eyal.
truncated — full list on GitHub