Software Product Management Essentials: A Practical Guide for Small and Mid-Sized Companies

I recently moved to the US and while I managed software products in my native country, I wasn't familiar with the process or all of the terms used in the US. This book was very helpful as it didn't complicate or assume anything. Software is hard enough to manage - books about managing it shouldn't be. I appreciated that. The templates at the end saved me a lot of time and expense. I never expect any one book to answer all questions but for me, this book was a great help in my recent transition.

When I began my career in Product Management there were no books that taught the art and science to newcomers. Most of what I learned had to be absorbed by osmosis while working at different software companies, each with their own Product Management roles, responsibilities and processes. If there had been a book available it would have saved me many headaches and given me a much better idea of what to expect during each part of the product lifecycle and how to be more effective. Software Product Management Essentials solves the need for a resource for introductory to mid-level software Product Managers. It helps them learn how to do their work more effectively and covers the fundamentals of Product Management. Targeted primarily at smaller companies, who oftentimes have little or no process in place and tend to demand that the Product Manager do the widest variety of tasks, it is also a great resource for those thinking of getting into Product Management. I recommend this book as a good resource for anyone who is a Product Manager. Brian Lawley http://www.280group.com

I read this book while it was still in galley form and once I'd finished it, immediately began to recommend it to my friends in the software industry industy who are involved in product management. Essentials begins with a useful overview of the role product management plays in the software development, sales and marketing process. The role of a product manager is to serve as a communications "hub" for a publisher's software, coordinating the different and frequently conflicting wishes, needs and priorities of development, sales, marketing and customers. While product management is one of the most enjoyable and exciting positions within the firmament of software marketing positions, it can also be a wearying and frustrating job. One of the hoariest observations in the software industry is that product managers have "all the responsibility and none of the authority." To succeed as a product manager it helps to have the reflexes of a juggler (to help keep multiple balls in the air), the proboscis of a basset hound (to help sniff out the political winds), and the hide of rhinoceros (to help deflect the flight of poison darts that will be coming your way). After its look at the role of product management in software, the book moves onto discussing frameworks for managing the process. Software Product Management Essentials is particularly enamored of the Base Level Integration Planning (BLIP) methodology. BLIP is a time-based system that begins with: "...A schedule for each development cycle or Base Level (BL), and then builds a practical set of features and development work into the schedule, rather than the other way around. In software engineering, this approach is called "time boxing." By using the BLIP process, your company can maintain fleet-footedness and flexibility while ensuring functionality to keep ahead of the market. The BLIP process is flexible enough to allow you to focus on one of the development attributes (quality, functionality or time) as much or as little as desired for each release cycle." BLIP is favorably contrasted with the traditional method of product development, which often consist of a product manager walking into a meeting with the development group, presenting a list of desired features, and then threatening, blackmailing, and eventually sobbing piteously until he or she gets buy-in from the programmers. Or the methodology, which consists of the development group ignoring marketing while they build the next version of the product they think is cool and which may or may not correspond with the desires and needs of the buyers of said products. Or the system in which the sales group promises that software will soon have the ability to product anti-gravity waves on demand if the customer will sign the PO today. A word about some of the sillier reviews I've read here. No one with any experience in the industry would regard reading this book as a waste time (except maybe some disappointed developers who are accustome

It is a shame that this book didn't exist when I started my career in product management. It is an excellent primer to pull together the various areas of software product management. Each area is well explained in simple language and touches all the important things that every product manager should know. Unlike my fellow reviewers, I do not believe any more information is needed in areas such a product development (i.e. RUP or other methodologies which is clearly beyond the scope of this book). As Dver notes up front, this book is a survey of the key areas a product manager is reponsible for. She clearly notes that in some areas, she is using one example of a technique (i.e. she uses the base level integration process as an example of only one development process). Dver also notes that PMs are very busy and the terseness of this book is beneficial leaving the PM free to explore any one of the topics further as it fits their specific organization and personal needs. From the other reviews listed, there is obviously diversity in the opinions of people as to what a PM should know and do. It is good to see that official PM organizations such as Association of International Product Managers (AIPMM), a number of Product Management Associations (PMAs) as well as Product Development and Management Associations (PDMA), have endorsed this book. Some even give it as a registration gift for new members. So in conclusion, I hope other people who want to learn or hone their PM skills do pick up this book. Its a great resource and is backed by those who practice product management for a living.