In a diverse business, a product manager oversees all of the projects for several products. That is, it sits a step above project managers on the org chart. This corporate designation seems to exist across many companies, especially those which are larger. Potential readers might be mystified by this role among their co-workers; others might aspire to this role and want to know what to do. In this self-published work, Daniel Chak, an experienced product manager at successful outfits like JP Morgan Chase and Google, describes what it takes to do this job well.
First, the Good: This book provides a good overview of this role in larger organizations. He is particularly adept at describing how to handle meetings. He writes with the authority of experience and brings pragmatics to light. He writes using examples from IT, which is on the leading cusp of most industries today. Finally, he has seemingly experienced most major challenges that a product manager could ever face. This wisdom, distilled into every section, helps Chak’s ethos.
The Bad: It’s obvious that this is a self-published work as it could have been made much stronger through an editor experienced in this field. Almost all examples come from the field of software; having more diversity would expand its audience. It doesn’t focus on outstanding issues in the field that need addressing; it’s just a rehash, more like a company guide to the position and less like a forward-thinking luminary across the business enterprise. Finally, this book’s main strengths, which I maintain are its acumen with meetings, are buried in chapters on other topics. Those strengths should be separated, emphasized, and expanded.
This book will be helpful to those who do not understand much about the role of product management but want to. However, it will not ignite curiosity among more casual readers, nor does it address pressing problems in the field with new insight or information. It does what it does well, but I doubt it will ever reach a wider audience. I’m reminded of what an editor told Harper Lee when her first book was rejected: “Tell me more about a young Scout.” The next story became the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. In the same way, Chak needs to expand on this comprehensive guide by focusing on an area or two of impactful change.
The Product Manager’s Guide: Strategy, Psychology, and Leadership at Work
By Daniel Chak
Copyright (c) 2023
Independently published
ISBN13 9798987545515
Page Count: 211
Genre: Business/management
www.amazon.com