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The Product Manager's Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed as a Product Manager
Advance in your product management career and create innovative products that customers love!
Regardless of industry or sector, to compete in today’s business world, product managers must understand how their customer’s preferences change, how technology evolves, and how anticipate what competitors might do. Regardless of industry, you need a reliable resource that provides timely guidance and practical tools to help you compete. With new content and expert advice, this updated edition of The Product Manager’s Survival Guide brings you fully up to date on what you need to succeed as a product manager.
For your professional future, you’ll learn it’s not the development technique that will help you get ahead, it’s how you think like a strategically minded business person. Your continuous learning starts with your product management acumen assessment, and takes root, when you develop your own professional development strategy.
The Product Manager’s Survival Guide, Second Edition features brand new material, including:
•A product management acumen assessment•Action planning ideas at the end of each chapter •Techniques to earn empowerment•Tools to develop product strategies and roadmaps•Methods to deploy and release products•Metrics to assess product performance
Simple and easy to understand, this invaluable guide will help you bring your company into the digital age and continue to evolve with changing times.
Regardless of industry or sector, to compete in today’s business world, product managers must understand how their customer’s preferences change, how technology evolves, and how anticipate what competitors might do. Regardless of industry, you need a reliable resource that provides timely guidance and practical tools to help you compete. With new content and expert advice, this updated edition of The Product Manager’s Survival Guide brings you fully up to date on what you need to succeed as a product manager.
For your professional future, you’ll learn it’s not the development technique that will help you get ahead, it’s how you think like a strategically minded business person. Your continuous learning starts with your product management acumen assessment, and takes root, when you develop your own professional development strategy.
The Product Manager’s Survival Guide, Second Edition features brand new material, including:
•A product management acumen assessment•Action planning ideas at the end of each chapter •Techniques to earn empowerment•Tools to develop product strategies and roadmaps•Methods to deploy and release products•Metrics to assess product performance
Simple and easy to understand, this invaluable guide will help you bring your company into the digital age and continue to evolve with changing times.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
243 people are currently reading
901 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 18, 2016
I gave it 2 stars because, after all, I finished it, Though there is some useful content, particularly for people new to Product Management, it is very poorly written: there is about 30% of wasted paragraphs introducing the chapter where later is re-introduced by the sub-sections and then summarized and then summarized again in a further chapter where a similar topic is discussed.
Overall, it is an OK book to give a new person in the role an overview of what the role entails. If you are not new to it, you might was well scan the titles of each section and go research elsewhere for actual substance.
It does a good job in mapping the areas of knowledge and skills a PM must have, and also invites you to self-assess and evaluate where you want to improve in, as well as how your career can develop, which is a question a lot of PMs ask ourselves.
There's also a useful template in Chapter 6 for PM teams to assess themselves and identify areas of improvement which is always a good thing to do.
You can guess the interest of the author in the soft skills as those topics are better written, although he does mention he is against making a division between soft and hard skills as they're actually intertwined. I have to agree with that.
A funny coincidence was to see he compared the PM role to that of an orchestra director which a colleague and I did as well recently while trying to use a familiar role to explain people what we do.
Overall, if you have some experience in Product Management and you generally feel like you know what you are doing, don't read this book. But if you have no clue and want to know the basics, plus can stand repetitive language, then go for it.
Overall, it is an OK book to give a new person in the role an overview of what the role entails. If you are not new to it, you might was well scan the titles of each section and go research elsewhere for actual substance.
It does a good job in mapping the areas of knowledge and skills a PM must have, and also invites you to self-assess and evaluate where you want to improve in, as well as how your career can develop, which is a question a lot of PMs ask ourselves.
There's also a useful template in Chapter 6 for PM teams to assess themselves and identify areas of improvement which is always a good thing to do.
You can guess the interest of the author in the soft skills as those topics are better written, although he does mention he is against making a division between soft and hard skills as they're actually intertwined. I have to agree with that.
A funny coincidence was to see he compared the PM role to that of an orchestra director which a colleague and I did as well recently while trying to use a familiar role to explain people what we do.
Overall, if you have some experience in Product Management and you generally feel like you know what you are doing, don't read this book. But if you have no clue and want to know the basics, plus can stand repetitive language, then go for it.
June 27, 2016
An excellent overview of the responsibilities and challenges of the product manager. This book best serves a recent college graduate or person who will be starting as a new product manager. It provides a protocol of activities to accomplish to "hit the ground running" and not get lost in the first few months of the new job. The book is very valuable to someone who may not have a career/coach manager for guidance.
March 11, 2018
As a product manager at various levels for 18+ years, I read & bought this book for my team members. I think this is a great book for those starting out. It’s also a good reference for those in the field to remind us to come up for air, get out of the minutiae and back to key strategic thinking.
Best bits are in the charts & last section.
Definitely a skim vs read.
Best bits are in the charts & last section.
Definitely a skim vs read.
October 22, 2020
Wow! And..wow!
The first "wow" is because, when looking for PM book guides, I didn't find much that fit my needs and that was worth buying. I was very disappointed to see that this domain isn't covered properly, despite the increasing demand for good people overseeing complex products.
The second "wow" is for reading this book and finding it's just what the doctor ordered. Although I really like it, I'm trying to be as objective as I can here.
That being said, I think that if you are currently in a situation where you need to be a product shepherd and have no clue how to do that, this is gold.
Probably not so much for a startup, though. There are different rules altogether in a startup. I think that if you want to be a PM for one, especially a software producing company, you would be better off by learning entrepreneurship and learning the market and the customer by heart. But then again, that's not exactly a Product Manager anymore, as more of a full blown entrepreneur with everything that comes along.
Anyway, I believe the title is befitting to it. There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of a PM and, without guidance, it can quickly become overwhelming. Especially that, as the author states, Most PMs find themselves in this role without being ready for what it means.
Think of it as a manual. Take it step by step, practice it, take notes, take small actions derived from it and end up by send a thank you note to Steven Haines in the end.
And best of luck to you! If you're looking for books like these, you need it!
The first "wow" is because, when looking for PM book guides, I didn't find much that fit my needs and that was worth buying. I was very disappointed to see that this domain isn't covered properly, despite the increasing demand for good people overseeing complex products.
The second "wow" is for reading this book and finding it's just what the doctor ordered. Although I really like it, I'm trying to be as objective as I can here.
That being said, I think that if you are currently in a situation where you need to be a product shepherd and have no clue how to do that, this is gold.
Probably not so much for a startup, though. There are different rules altogether in a startup. I think that if you want to be a PM for one, especially a software producing company, you would be better off by learning entrepreneurship and learning the market and the customer by heart. But then again, that's not exactly a Product Manager anymore, as more of a full blown entrepreneur with everything that comes along.
Anyway, I believe the title is befitting to it. There is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of a PM and, without guidance, it can quickly become overwhelming. Especially that, as the author states, Most PMs find themselves in this role without being ready for what it means.
Think of it as a manual. Take it step by step, practice it, take notes, take small actions derived from it and end up by send a thank you note to Steven Haines in the end.
And best of luck to you! If you're looking for books like these, you need it!
February 7, 2017
Good overview of various frameworks and approaches about establishing yourself as an effective product manager, whether new or rising in the field. At times, the book is redundant and covers superfluous topics but the first half kept me page turning through a discussion of initial impressions and understandings.
December 12, 2023
The title would be better as “A Product Manager’s first 100 days”: this book outlines a great set of actionable items to ensure a new joiner is set up for success. It’s useful for anyone at any stage: while a more seasoned professional should know this, oftentimes one doesn’t put together a plan for oneself, and this provides a great overview for that!
October 29, 2025
The Uncomfortable Truth: Why 70% Failure is Your Product Management Baseline
This is the rare business book that pulls no punches about the emotional and strategic reality of the Product Manager role. It’s not a checklist for features or a simple guide to Agile sprints; it's a foundational text for anyone who treats product management as the business management of products, a "mini-CEO" role within a larger enterprise.
Haines makes it crystal clear: your job is to lead horizontally, earning trust and credibility with teams that don't report to you. The key takeaway, however, is one of resilience. He highlights that a high percentage of PMs feel frustrated and that product failure rates exceed 70%. The book's true value lies in forcing you to internalize this reality. It provides the strategic and ethical framework necessary to maintain principled action and courage when your project inevitably hits turbulence.
The book moves the PM mindset from simply managing tasks to holistically managing a sustainable business entity. It's essential reading for anyone serious about the long-term, ethical leadership required to transform market-first customer insight into profitable, durable products. Highly recommended for experienced PMs and aspiring leaders alike.
I write about organizational zen, ethical AI, and helping leaders stay grounded even when everything's on fire. If you like learning about building better humans and smarter tech, one ecosystem at a time, let’s stay connected over at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreylip...
This is the rare business book that pulls no punches about the emotional and strategic reality of the Product Manager role. It’s not a checklist for features or a simple guide to Agile sprints; it's a foundational text for anyone who treats product management as the business management of products, a "mini-CEO" role within a larger enterprise.
Haines makes it crystal clear: your job is to lead horizontally, earning trust and credibility with teams that don't report to you. The key takeaway, however, is one of resilience. He highlights that a high percentage of PMs feel frustrated and that product failure rates exceed 70%. The book's true value lies in forcing you to internalize this reality. It provides the strategic and ethical framework necessary to maintain principled action and courage when your project inevitably hits turbulence.
The book moves the PM mindset from simply managing tasks to holistically managing a sustainable business entity. It's essential reading for anyone serious about the long-term, ethical leadership required to transform market-first customer insight into profitable, durable products. Highly recommended for experienced PMs and aspiring leaders alike.
I write about organizational zen, ethical AI, and helping leaders stay grounded even when everything's on fire. If you like learning about building better humans and smarter tech, one ecosystem at a time, let’s stay connected over at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreylip...
April 11, 2021
Tam da ürün yöneticisi olarak çalışmaya başlayacağım şu günlerde bu kitabı keyifle okudum. Bu kitap sayesinde çok farklı şeyler öğrendim demem biraz zor ama role dair dinamikleri tekrar hatırlamak, güven tazelemek ve motivasyon yaratmak için faydalı oldu.
Yazar konuyu 11 bölümde incelemiş. Hemen her bölümde de açıklamalarla beraber işe yarayacak taslak dokümanlar ve bölüm sonunda tavsiyeler paylaşmış, bunu çok sevdim. Kitap herhangi bir ürün hatta sektör özelinde olmadığı için tavsiyeler çoğu zaman genel olsa da yazar tüm ürün yöneticilerinin ortak faydalanabileceği bir kaynak yaratmaya çalışmış.
Yazar konuyu 11 bölümde incelemiş. Hemen her bölümde de açıklamalarla beraber işe yarayacak taslak dokümanlar ve bölüm sonunda tavsiyeler paylaşmış, bunu çok sevdim. Kitap herhangi bir ürün hatta sektör özelinde olmadığı için tavsiyeler çoğu zaman genel olsa da yazar tüm ürün yöneticilerinin ortak faydalanabileceği bir kaynak yaratmaya çalışmış.
October 29, 2020
Very generic book in my opinion. Everything is too broad without concrete examples or points.
For instance, advices are:
"Be nice to your colleagues and bosses and network with people"
"Try different positions as sales, marketing etc, even after you land a PM job"
"Learn the domain of your product"
"Learn the processes in your company"
This book should be a guide to every person who just graduated and needs a practical guide how to behave when starting his career, irrelevant of the field.
For instance, advices are:
"Be nice to your colleagues and bosses and network with people"
"Try different positions as sales, marketing etc, even after you land a PM job"
"Learn the domain of your product"
"Learn the processes in your company"
This book should be a guide to every person who just graduated and needs a practical guide how to behave when starting his career, irrelevant of the field.
July 1, 2019
If you don't find a way to accomplish all that's expected off you, you will be driven by the urgent demands of others and lacking in the proper context for what being asked of you; and if you don't possess enough knowledge of the proper context, others will create that context for you.
Updating review in here.
https://www.thanhcs.xyz/2019/01/note-...
Updating review in here.
https://www.thanhcs.xyz/2019/01/note-...
December 3, 2017
This book is very introductory and high level. I was hoping for more of the nuts and bolts and less advice like "go out and meet people in your organization", but it sounds like that must be in the author's other book, from all the references to it.
December 13, 2019
This is a decent introduction to product management. It covers the product life cycle, product planning, and career planning. It is a very basic level book, but it has good tools, checklists and general signposts for guidance. A decent introduction to a broad, complex field.
July 18, 2020
Overall feeling that’s in reality things are 50/50 vs. how’s the book describe product management.
The content feels more for corporate straightforward approach, strict guidelines, which are useful tho but probably not applicable in our case
The content feels more for corporate straightforward approach, strict guidelines, which are useful tho but probably not applicable in our case
March 8, 2023
Far too broad, vague and felt very out of date (despite only coming out a few years ago). Bit of a slog to get through compared to other similar books. Didn’t get as much as I desired out of it - largely due to the broad sweeps and a slightly concerning element of waterfall related principles.
November 4, 2017
Bad book! not everything you need to know. And not for product managers. I don't know who this book was written for, but please don't trust the name.
December 9, 2017
It is a bird-eye view on work of a generic product manager. Unfortunately, the tips and pieces of advice are quite vague and not specific to software product manager at all.
February 1, 2018
Good book, it´s helpful for people who have worked as a PM, it´s not recommended for rookies
May 12, 2019
Helpful advice to get yourself started or to remind you about the fundamentals
July 20, 2019
Comprehensive
August 18, 2019
A good start to register that it takes a holistic perspective to become a good Product Manager.
December 31, 2019
Incredible book for anyone getting into Product Management.
August 8, 2020
Working in Finance, I was looking to learn the basics of this field and I enjoy the book with good learnings
September 26, 2022
Lots of fluff and unnecessary introductions and “as I’ll cover in chapter so and so. Very little actual content that goes above what is self evident.
August 24, 2023
Very good book
July 7, 2014
A good guide for product managers to asses their skills, how to approach product management, structure process, and evaluate success (at both the product and product management level.)
All approaches and methodologies undergo tailoring to fit the company, and this one provides the high level and details to map, gap, and improve.
All approaches and methodologies undergo tailoring to fit the company, and this one provides the high level and details to map, gap, and improve.
April 9, 2017
The kitchen-sink on Product Management. If this is the 'Survival Guide', I dread the Desk Reference. New PMs and those @ large corporates may find the slog useful, startups should look elsewhere.
January 31, 2017
A very good high level overview for new product managers. If you are new to the job, this book will give you good overview of what PM is about.
Also as with reading any book with substance it prompts you to think about the way you work and you can come up with several ideas what would you like to improve.
Recommended.
Also as with reading any book with substance it prompts you to think about the way you work and you can come up with several ideas what would you like to improve.
Recommended.
August 7, 2016
The problem in this book is that it doesn't not connect the skills mentioned with the practical knowledge of how to apply them in your workaday world nor how to use them to gain success in the corporate world. Sad !
July 20, 2015
Comprehensive guide to your first 30-90 days of becoming a PM and how to ramp up quickly. Also just useful info for how to ramp up quickly in any job.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2016
Everything here just seemed like common sense. Nothing bad, just nothing to write home about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews