I am also a self-taught product manager. Let me briefly talk about my learning process and perception, hoping to bring help to the subject:

What is the requirement of product manager?

Do you want to be a product manager, regardless of your purpose? Pretend bility? Income? Always know what the enterprise’s requirements for product managers are.

1. Most companies require functional product managers:

Design function: understand the functional structure of the product model;

Product software: Office, Mind mapping, prototype design;

Product model: function structure and operation mode of B2C, O2O, SNS and other products;

Job: Functional planning and design, product documentation;

2. There are also operational and managerial product managers: that is, there are more product managers in marketing, operation and corresponding strategy and execution management, but the requirements are higher, so I will not explain them here.

Second, where is the gap between product managers? How to improve?

So let’s start with the product manager’s requirements, starting with the simplest software:

1. Product related software:

Prototype design: Under WIN system: AXURE is enough;

Mind mapping: WIN system: Mindmanager, Xmind; Personal recommendation mindManager;

Flowcharts: Although you can draw flowcharts in AXURE, I recommend VISIO.

Project management: Project, the best project management software;

Office software: Word, Excel, PPT and other software;

The above software can at least reach the point of use, such as AXURE will do simple interactive actions, VISIO will draw simple flow charts, swimming lane map; PROJECT will do simple PROJECT scheduling, EXCEL will do simple data analysis;

2. Product Model and function design

Understand the different functional structure of different product models, and can design product prototypes and documents according to the enterprise product model;

Here are some suggestions:

Start from design: for different product models of the website: such as B2B,B2C,C2C these three different types of website, try to design a set of product prototype out, from the simplest set of processes, such as registration process, the following single process…

Comparison: Compare the product you designed with the real site, and find out what the gap is between the process you completed and the real, mature process?

Summary: What details didn’t come to mind? Why the gap? What are the blind spots in your thinking? What do the product managers who design these products think about?

Continue to design: according to the comparison, find their own shortcomings, and then the first time to do their own design, design again, and then compare, repeatedly modify;

Being a product specialist is enough if you know the software and function design in different product models.

Iii. Necessary qualities of product manager:

The product manager who didn’t want to be CEO wasn’t a good programmer, so what are the qualities of a product manager?

1. Certain technical background or knowledge:

Although in Zhihu, everyone has been discussing whether a product manager needs technical background, learning certain programming knowledge can not only improve his logical thinking ability, but also reduce many problems in communicating with programmers. Therefore, it is recommended to master certain technical knowledge even if he does not know programming.

2. Certain operational knowledge:

No matter how good the product is, it also needs operation. Whether it is for the product or for better communication with the operation department, operation knowledge is indispensable.

3. Certain communication skills:

Although the product manager is called the mini CEO, he is a CEO without power. If he uses the company’s various resources to serve himself and complete the product, communication skills are indispensable.

4. Certain design skills:

In many companies where there is no interaction design position, the product manager and UI are responsible for the design of the entire product, so the product manager must have some design knowledge;

If you meet the above criteria, it’s not too difficult to get a job as a product manager.

In my opinion, the three most important skills of product manager are learning ability, logical thinking and communication.

Learning ability ranked first; There are a lot of questions and answers about products on Zhihu. There are also a lot of books about product managers in bookstores. As long as you study hard, you can certainly master relevant knowledge and skills.

Hope my answer can bring you help, let you embark on the road of product manager;

A graduate from the Foreign language department of normal University, as a JAVA programmer, editing operation of the current product manager stay;

Also: Product manager related bibliography, seen on Everyone is a Product Manager:

First, product market

Tipping Point — Product market and operation promotion

The Long Tail — Product Markets

Freakonomics — Product markets

Influence — Product market

Ethology – product markets and user behavior must read

Second, product design

Elements of user Experience — you all get it

It’s that Simple — User experience

Splendid Blueprint – Web information Architecture must read

Web Information Architecture – A must read for Web Information Architecture

Creating Breakthrough Products — Primer for PM

Design Book for Everyone – UI design must read

“The Power of Design in Response to Demand” — Cultivating empathy

The Law of Simplicity — Design ideas

Don Make Me Think – Don’t look away

Design Psychology – a book that makes a lot of sense

Team work

Decision and Judgment: Perspective-taking

Only the paranoid survive — Emotional intelligence

“The Zen of Speech” — Energy and influence

Revelation — Team

Supplement:

Mobile PM focuses on slightly different knowledge and books in product design.

Interaction Design for Mobile Devices – Introduction to Mobile Interaction

Design and Development of Mobile Applications – Introduction to mobile products

Tapworthy — IOS design

The App Savvy”

Mobile Design Pattern Gallery

minimalism

In addition, many domestic product managers focus on product experience and demand control, and some product managers actually lead projects or product teams. Therefore, the following books are recommended:

The Beauty of Project Management: Focuses on project management

Mastering the Requirements Process: Focuses on demand mining

Process Management: Focuses on project team product managers

Deconstructing Web Design: Focuses on Web product managers

Instant Beauty: Ditto

Elements of user Experience: Ditto

GUI Design Taboo: Client product manager bias

About Face 3 Essence of Interaction Design: Client-side product manager

User Experience Metrics: Product managers with certain user groups can read it

“Better than words: website content win treasure code” : information site product manager the best look

Web Navigation Design: Although Web heavy, I think client product managers can also read it.

“Netting”

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