First 30 Days as a PM
You want to transition to PM. You have already been interviewed and got accepted. Congratulations. But now what?
You want to transition to PM. You have already been interviewed and got accepted. Congratulations. But now what?
Common mistakes to make is to immediately jump into telling the team on what to improve because most likely everyone in the team already thought of them too. Not only that, jumping to solutions can build resistance within the team and dampen your relationship before it even starts.
Here is what I did when I joined in new company as Product Manager:
Align expectation with your manager
First thing to do is to talk with your manager. Usually the manager already sets up this meeting with you. Make sure you have 1on1 routines with your manager. If they don't set up a meeting make sure you ask for one. There will be a lot of things to discuss so it would not fit to one session only.
In the sessions you will align about:
job description and career growth
OKR
Current issues on the product
Documentation you can read
List of People that you will work with
Deep Dive into Product Documentation
Read the available documentation to learn more about the product. For example: marketing reports, current timeline, customer service ticket, previous product requirement, etc.
You will find many terms that you are not familiar with. List down the terms and whom to ask. This is to prepare for the next step.
Have 1on1 Discussions with your team
Based on my experience, your first 30 days being a Product Manager will be heavily filled with 1on1 activities.
After you have the initial list of people that you can talk to, set up 1 on 1 meeting with them. This is a very good way to build relationships. You will be surprised with what you can learn from them.
In each session you want to understand your colleagues, particularly about:
their job scope
Workflow with their team
Problem in collaboration process
Their pet peeves
Their insights or feedbacks about your product
This session is useful not only for you to understand your peers but also to ensure they know what you do and when to invite you in meetings.
Key Points
What to do in your first 30 days as PM:
Align expectation with your manager
Deep dive into documentation
Have 1on1 Discussions with your team
Only after you understand how the product and organization works, you start to talk about approaching a solution. Hope it helps.
I have google sheets that I use as a timeline guide for my first 30 days. Might share it in the future after I adjust some part of it. Let me know if you are interested.
I also compiled the material for those interested to pivot to PM careers. You can access the link here .