Product management is challenging, and it can be tough to know where to start. A great way to avoid some common mistakes is by reading some of the many great product management books out there. They provide insights into the tips, tricks and strategies needed to succeed in this field. Choosing the right books can be tough, so we have put together a list of 5 recommendations we believe are a must-read for all product managers. It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned product manager, an aspiring one, or a product owner, these books have something for everyone!
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
This book is considered one of the classics in the product management field. It goes through the best methods and techniques for coming up with innovative product ideas that your customers want. It will give you a framework to come up with great ideas, test them, and validate them to ensure you're delivering what your customers need. Marty Cagan draws upon his experiences from running product management at companies like eBay and Yahoo, providing real-world examples that are invaluable to readers.
Cracking the PM Interview
This book is the perfect guide for product managers preparing for interviews. It's packed with interview questions, frameworks for answering questions, and tips for acing the interview. The book is particularly helpful for those new to the product management field or ones changing roles.
The Lean Startup
This book is all about taking a lean approach, which means getting your product to market faster, testing it, and making adjustments as needed. It helps readers understand the importance of experimentation and data-driven development, laying out the foundations for creating successful products.
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
This book provides a step-by-step guide for a five-day design sprint. Design sprints help teams design and refine innovative solutions, solving problems and improving products quickly. It is a great book for product managers since they will be guiding teams through sprints.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
This book is one of the most recommended books for product managers, introducing Hook model which provides a framework for designing and building habit-forming products. It's a must-read for anyone building products or services that require user behavior to change, whether it's creating a new habit or breaking an old one.
If you’re a product manager looking for inspiration, guidance, and insights, these 5 books will give you an excellent starting point.
By reading them, you will gain insights on how to improve your ideas, develop your strategies, and build products that people love. The five books are not the only ones out there; there are many more, so make sure to keep an open mind while exploring various product management books. However, these 5 books are where you might want to start to learn more about becoming a better product manager.
