Decoding Product Management — A skill matrix to grow, coach, assess, and hire world-class PMs

In my last seven years in product management I have worked with over 100 product managers. Most of them didn’t have a clue what was expected of their role. And I’m not just talking about the interns.

When a product manager asked me why I was not a senior PM, but my colleague was, I wasn’t able to provide a clear answer. That interaction led me to create the first PM skill matrix. For the last five years I’ve used the matrix as a performance and development tool for PMs in my teams as well as a tool for coaching clients. Now I want to share the matrix with you to help you improve your PM recruiting, become a better leader and build a clear plan for your personal development.

The matrix is built upon the feedback of countless PMs and is constantly evolving. Your feedback is welcome and will help refine and evolve the matrix further.

The matrix consists of 26 relevant product manager skills and four levels of product management experience. In parts one and two of this article, I share some background on the skills and four levels. In part three, I elaborate on how you can use the matrix to be a better product leader. In part four, we look at how to use it for your personal development.