Introduction to Product Management: A Guide for New Tech Leaders

This course is meant as an introduction to product management and what you'll need to know about it in the context of a new tech leader. You're not gonna walk away as an expert in agility or product management, but hopefully, you'll know what you don't know and have a better idea of how to collaborate with product management to maximize the value your team is contributing.

Instructor: Jon La Plante

My name is Jon La Plante. I've worked in product for nearly 10 years, and I'm going to be your guide on this journey.

Our Story

Jonas stood by the window of the relax room at his company’s office, gazing out at the rain-soaked streets of Bergen, Norway. The soft patter of droplets on the glass was a familiar sound, one he often found soothing. Today, it amplified his anxiety. He had recently been promoted from Senior Developer to Tech Lead, a position he’d worked hard to attain, but the weight of his new responsibilities weighed heavily. 

He’d always been comfortable in the world of code—algorithms, logic, and clean solutions. Now, he was leading a team and making decisions that would impact the entire project. The promotion had brought new challenges, the biggest of which was the integration of a new feature into their company's flagship software product. The feature had been Lova’s brainchild, the product manager Jonas now had to collaborate with closely. 

Jonas had always respected Lova’s ideas; she had a knack for understanding user needs and translating them into tangible product goals. But her latest proposal felt overly ambitious, a sophisticated AI-driven recommendation system. Sitting down at his desk, Jonas pulled up the product roadmap and backlog. As he reviewed the scope of the work, his concerns grew. He decided it was time to have a conversation with Lova. He needed to ensure they were both aligned, or the initiative could face serious setbacks. 

Jonas walked down the corridor to Lova’s desk, his mind racing through potential solutions.

We've met Jonas and Lova, and we've learned about Jonas' promotion. Join me in the next clip and we'll get into the details of product management.