Software Product Management Essentials 
asked by mags on November 12, 2006 10:27 PM
In an economy where efficiency and delivery are key, Software Product Management Essentials is required reading for any software product manager. Software Product Management Essentials is a hands-on guide to help new product managers sift through the numerous tasks and responsibilities involved in this pinnacle job. The book is loaded with tips and example best practices to help even experienced product managers optimize their time and effectiveness. The book focuses on the unique challenges of being a Product Manager in a small to mid-sized software company. It provides a framework for the role of the Product Manager in an environment where there are few resources available to help in tackling the many things needed for a quality, on-time delivery of software. Whether you are already a Product Manager or considering a new career in product management, Software Product Management Essentials details a day-in-the-life experience of a PM with both the glory and challenges one faces in this role. Engineers, marketing personnel, quality assurance teams, technical writers, and anyone involved in the product delivery process will find this book extremely useful right away in optimizing the day-to-day interactions across a smaller software organization.
Emphasizing that code is only part of the overall software product, Software Product Management Essentials stresses the importance of championing a product. Critical topics covered in the book include the product delivery process, beta testing, launching a software product, and software pricing. An entire chapter is dedicated to the issues of expanding the business internationally and the issues a Product Manager must consider before and during expansion. Numerous templates are provided to fast track the Product Manager's work including a sample non-disclosure agreement, product delivery checklist, and beta test agreement and summary.
Reviews
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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.
reviewed by astrofizzy on November 13, 2006 10:20 AM
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As I went to go and post a review of this book, I was shocked to see some of the negative reviews that are here. This book was fantastic in that it was simple, clear, and comprehensive. I've been a product manager for over 15 years and have managed product managers for the last 7. I work in a very successful software company and have been a successful PM. I was looking for a tool to help train my staff and this book was recommended by one of my colleagues at another company who is also a succsssful manager of PMs. I am glad I listened to my friend and not the people who think they know too much and need boast this via an Amazon book review. From my perspective, this book really helps - it helps new PMs understand what they are expected to do and how to do it. It also confirmed for me what I should expect of my employees and gave me some really staightforward tools to use, even after all these years. If you want a solid and accurate view of software product management, this is it. If the book missed anything, it was how to deal with unfulfilled engineering types....maybe next version?
reviewed by ronmiller on November 25, 2006 6:56 AM
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This book might have been essential back in 1998 when any goof with a good idea started a software company. But we've moved WAY beyond that.
Today, anyone in the software business should be able to have written this book. Its coverage is broad and cursory: development process, requirements management, product delivery, beta testing, pricing, internationalization, and more all in 139 pages (the rest of the book is sample documents).
As an example of how shallow this book is, on page 129 she sees it necessary to define a "byte" as "a single computer memory space." Please. If you hope to be a software product manager but don't know what a byte is, don't give up your day job.
The sample documents in the appendices are not bad but they don't justify the cost of the book.
The book contains numerous instances of unclear writing which lead me to believe the book was not edited professionally.
Today, anyone in the software business should be able to have written this book. Its coverage is broad and cursory: development process, requirements management, product delivery, beta testing, pricing, internationalization, and more all in 139 pages (the rest of the book is sample documents).
As an example of how shallow this book is, on page 129 she sees it necessary to define a "byte" as "a single computer memory space." Please. If you hope to be a software product manager but don't know what a byte is, don't give up your day job.
The sample documents in the appendices are not bad but they don't justify the cost of the book.
The book contains numerous instances of unclear writing which lead me to believe the book was not edited professionally.
reviewed by perfectstorm on November 29, 2006 12:15 PM