A curated list of awesome resources for product/program managers to learn and grow.
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 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.
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.
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 |
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/ |
Kanban-style boards to manage work items. Integrates well with teams and other services. Has a rich extensibility platform.
Property | Value |
---|---|
Developer | Atlassian |
Cost | Freemium ($9.99/mo+ subscriptions available) |
Platform | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, web |
URL | https://trello.com/ |
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://tree.taiga.io |
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/ |
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/ |
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/ |
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/ |
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 |
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 |
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 |
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 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 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 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 |
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/ |
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.”
Podcast | Hosts | URL | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Den Delimarsky | https://theworkitem.com | Every week, Den Delimarsky sits down with folks from a range of industries, roles, and backgrounds to learn more about their career journey, lessons learned, and what it takes to map out your own very unique track. | |
Reid Hoffman | https://mastersofscale.com/ | How do companies grow from zero to a gazillion? Legendary Silicon Valley investor / entrepreneur Reid Hoffman tests his theories with famous founders. Guests include Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg & Sheryl Sandberg, Netflix’s Reed Hastings, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Spanx’s Sara Blakely. With original music and hilariously honest stories, the show sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard. | |
Multiple | https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-product-podcast/id1219400787 | This is your Product Management podcast featuring PMs from Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify, Twitter and other tech companies/ startups. Tune in if you’re a manager, designer, engineer, entrepreneur or marketer who wants to learn the latest best practices. | |
Multiple | https://www.gimletmedia.com/startup | The business origin story you never get to hear. | |
Guy Raz | https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this | Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built. | |
Multiple | https://www.gimletmedia.com/the-pitch | Where real entrepreneurs pitch to real investors—for real money. | |
Multiple | https://rework.fm/ | A podcast by Basecamp about the better way to work and run your business. We bring you stories and unconventional wisdom from Basecamp’s co-founders and other business owners. | |
Multiple | https://artofproductpodcast.com/ | Chronicling the journeys of two entrepreneurs building software companies. | |
Lenny Rachitsky | https://www.lennyspodcast.com/ | Lenny Rachitsky (author of #1 business newsletter on Substack, with 200k+ subscribers) interviews world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover concrete, actionable, and tactical advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product. | |
Marshall Bock, Brian Lovin | https://designdetails.fm | A weekly conversation about design process and culture. Hosted by Marshall Bock and Brian Lovin. | |
Ryan Hoover, Abadesi Osunsade | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/product-hunt-radio/id862714883 | Product Hunt Radio is a a weekly podcast with the people creating and exploring the future. Tune in every week with Ryan Hoover and Abadesi Osunsade as they’re joined by founders, investors, journalists, and makers to discuss the latest in tech. |
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