As a Product Manager, What Kind of Technical Skills Should you Have?
There seems to be no consensus of how technical you should be as a product manager.
- Should you have come from a coding background? Can you put together a nice CRUD app in rails blindfolded?
- Can you whip together a picture-perfect mockup that gets you 95% of the way there within an hour?
- Can you code with assembly and FORTAN?
- Should you use machine learning to automate all your work?
Ok, kidding on the last two points. Still, at what level should your technical chops be as a product manager?
*Drumroll*
Well, it depends. Article over!
But really now…let’s go through a few of these skills…
1. How much should you be able to code as a product manager?
Well, depending on how you became a product manager, you might have come from a coding background and made the jump over, so this might not be an issue for you.
And what if you didn’t come from a coding background?
Well, you should know enough to be able to understand the 30 000 foot view of what developers need to do.
You need to be able to hold a coherent conversation with developers. You don’t want to be like this:
What should you learn in regards to languages and frameworks? What should you be able to code?
- Javascript: Yes, it’s a “terrible” language and there are 1 billion different frameworks with 1273 new frameworks popping up daily, but Javascript powers the web, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well have a basic understanding of it. React or Angular seem to be the big frameworks, although personally, I would give the edge to React. Still, get to understand the fundamentals of Javascript. Don’t become a framework junkie.
- Ruby on Rails. But Rails is DYING! Haven’t you heard? Well, maybe it doesn’t have the growth that it used to, but considering it’s still a popular framework since launching in 2005, which is ANCIENT in framework years, there’s a good reason to have an understanding of how Rails works. Learn to build a simple CRUD app. Have an understanding of where things lie within the framework.
For Learning Rails, Mackenzie Child on YouTube has an excellent set of short (1ish hour tutorials) on putting together simple Rails CRUD apps.
You can read all about languages until you’re blue in the face, or you can just find some tutorials like the one above and follow along, and you’ll pick up things along the way.
- But what if the company I work for doesn’t make use of Rails or Javascript? Well, I’m sure you can find some YouTube tutorials on whatever language they use.
- Build a landing page with something like Bootstrap. Bootstrap has its share of detractors, but you can ignore them. There’s a reason that it’s so popular. Depending on how you’re learning Rails or Javascript, there’s a good chance you’ll be learning a bit of Bootstrap along the way. Freecodecamp has a great little tutorial on Bootstrap.
- Understand how Git works. Most likely your developers are on Github, so having an understanding of Git is very beneficial. You don’t need to be deep in the trenches at all times, but having a basic understanding of how Git works can go a long way.
What about other technical skills? Machine Learning? Data Analytics? Cryptocurrency? Nunchuck skills?
Whoa, slow down there! Let’s break down some other skills that a product manager should have, and to what extent.
2. How much should you be able to create mockups as a Product Manager?
Being able to put together a quick mockup and a wireframe is an extremely helpful skill to have as a product manager.
Go learn Sketch. Seriously.
It’s just as easy to use as balsamiq (a popular mockup and wireframe tool), and you can get results that look more like the real thing very quickly. With a couple of hours of fiddling around and watching some YouTube tutorials, I was able to gain a pretty solid understanding and put together some descent mockups quickly. Plus, unlike Photoshop, it doesn’t feel like I’m trying to trick it into what I want it to do and is not bloated beyond death. Don’t even get me started on Gimp.
I’ve been thinking about starting a blog series that focuses on quality products, with Sketch being the first one I write about.
- Put together a few mobile apps and website mockups. This can be as simple as redesigning a website or app that you use regularly, or setting up a simple app that tells you if it’s raining or not.
- Learn to use Invision. This takes about 15 minutes, and integrates nicely with Sketch. It gives your apps a much more interactive feel.
3. What about Data Analysis? Analytics?
- SELECT * FROM * WHERE. Having a basic understanding of SQL can go a long way.
- Analytic Tools. I have mixed feelings on various analytic tools, but that’s besides the point. You should understand Google Analytics at the very least, and something like Mixpanel or Tableau can also be helpful. You don’t need to be a whiz with them, but do understand how to set things up in order to find data.
- Excel. Yes, having some sweet skills in Excel is still beneficial. It’s been around for such a long time. Please have some understanding of how to use it.
4. Machine learning?
Hmmm….this one is up in the air, and one that is more for long term.
Ken Norton has an excellent article on getting started with machine learning for product managers.
Here is an article from Hacker Noon on Machine Learning for Product Managers
At this point, I think you should have a good understanding of the 30 000 foot view in regards to machine learning. It’s up to you how deep you want to go with it.
5. Nunchuck Skills?
Impress your co-workers. Just be careful.
In Conclusion:
It’s really up to you how technical you want to be as a product manager. Having an understanding of how the sausage is made is extremely helpful, even if you are not the one doing so. It’s something that you can always be working on in increments, and that fact alone can help you stand out from other product managers.
Originally published at www.pmpaul.com on April 27, 2017.
