42 Rules of Product Management

by Brian Lawley, Greg Cohen

'42 Rules of Product Management' is a collection of product management wisdom from forty experts from around the world. With over five hundred years of combined hands-on product management and product marketing experience, the authors each shares one rule that they think is critical to know to succeed in product management. Whether you are a seasoned and experienced product manager or are just starting out, '42 Rules of Product Management' will help you lead with greater effectiveness and influence Packed with pearls of product management wisdom, this book has something for everyone. Best of all, it was written with the busy product manager in mind. Each rule is kept to two pages and designed to stand-on its own. They can be read in any order. In less than five minutes a day, you can learn from forty of the best product managers in the world.

Genres: Business, Management, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 14, 2010

About the author

Brian Lawley is recognized as a thought-leader and authority on the profession of Product Management and Product Marketing. He is the CEO and Founder of the 280 Group, author of six best-selling Product Management books, including Product Management for Dummies and one of the creators of the Optimal Product Process™. He is also the former President of the Silicon Valley Product Management Association (SVPMA), was awarded the AIPMM Award for Thought Leadership in Product Management, and has been featured on World Business Review and the Silicon Valley Business Report.

Reviews

[Sumit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the soft skills needed to succeed as as Product Manager.
Team player, Learning to say NO, Acting like a child (keep asking WHY), Being transparent etc etc.
I think it is helpful to glance over all these points to remind yourself of what is required for the profile of a product manager.
My only issue would be that the same thing has been reiterated time and again. Could have been a lot shorter read.

This wont help you learn what product management is but might help identify the skills required.

[Adam Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will probably be incomprehensible to someone not already working as a product manager in the technology industry. It's poorly written, excessively abstract / short on examples, and densely packed with industry jargon. Still, there seem to be very few books on product management, and this one does have more than a few useful insights. Also, it's short (~80 pages).

Some highlights:

- "It is the product manager's responsibility to identify customer problems worth solving. It is engineering's role to identify technical solutions to those problems."

- "Product managers must constantly accomplish their goals through organizational functions over which they have no direct authority. They must use their skills of persuasion and diplomacy to make things happen."

- "At Facebook they like the mantra, 'Don't fall in love,' as a way to ensure that the product team doesn't get so enamored of their own ideas that they ignore or rationalize feedback from the people that matter."

- "Have every pertinent piece of information documented. You can measure your success by the frequency people quote or refer to your documents."

- "Imagine a world where the problem has already been solved. This is the core of most good science fiction. Take a problem that has been solved by some advanced technology and explroe the resulting world or environment."

- Be a good listener. Don't formulate a response prior to the end of a conversation.

- Good product marketing is spending marketing dollars wisely by identifying what influences your target market. For example, friends, influential blogs, thought leaders, or particular publications or news sources.

- "Successful product managers don't argue their own position on what the product should be. Instead, they present a point and support it with real live customer insights and feedback."

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although positioned as a book for product managers, this is a great read for marketing people nonetheless. Focused around 42 rules, the book touches many points of interest: product planning, product cycle management, product positioning and marketing message, how to efficiently work cross-functionally within the company. Totally recommended, a great piece of inspiration worth of returning to from time to time!

[Pankaj Ghanshani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has 42 - 1 pager articles. Each one has one tip / rule / lesson.
I used to ( and still ) pick this book once a day to look at one article and internalize that.
Look a good product, the book is concise, to the point and very well written.

[Fauzia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros:
Quick read (less than 100 pages).
Each Chapter is 1-2 pages so it's concise and easy to understand.
Good real-life examples.

[sadiq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apt straight to the point and practical guide to product management