Many product managers started their careers in other disciplines. I know software engineers, data scientists, marketers, and others with tech and marketing backgrounds who have made the transition to product management and product owner roles.

When tech, marketing , and other Digital Trailblazers transition to product management roles, they must learn new skills, leadership approaches, and lenses to gauge opportunities. Product managers must research markets, target strategic customer segments, research buyer and end-user persona needs, distill key feedback points into an actionable plan, capture stakeholder input – including demands and wishlists, and then work with agile teams to translate priorities into a product roadmap and release strategy.

And that’s just the beginning because after releasing new capabilities, product managers must direct change management efforts and grow end-user adoption.

None of the responsibilities I listed above are truly technical or marketing disciplines, though they all rely on having some background in these areas. Leaders transitioning into product management roles must learn through experience to develop practical approaches to leading innovations that deliver business impacts.

The transition can be particularly challenging for technologists, including leaders with DevOps, architecture, and program management backgrounds. They must accept that others have taken over their former responsibilities and learn several completely new disciplines.  

My top books for tech leaders leaping to product managers

In choosing this list, I didn’t select books solely about how to become a product manager. I focused on ones that detail specific skills, experiences, or responsibilities product managers must learn to be successful. I share a mix of books, some on B2C customer-facing product development and others on iteratively developing internal applications. Product managers developing employee-facing products, workflows, and dashboards will benefit from the books about developing customer-facing products and experiences.

I listed the chapter names most beneficial for tech leads transitioning into product managers for each book.

Essential books for every product manager

Key reads on strategy

These two books are practical reads for product managers around strategy.

Lessons for every product manager from SaaS, professional services, and government

These books focus on specific segments (SaaS, professional services, and government) but have applicable lessons for all product managers.

Vision through planning, delivery, and outcomes

I authored the last two books, and thanks to all the great others making this list: Marty Cagan, April Dunford, Michele Hansen, Category Pirates (Christopher Lochhead, Eddie Yoon, Katrina Kirsch, Nicolas Cole), Mohan Subramaniam, Andrew Chen, Rob Walling, Eisha Armstrong, Alan G Robinson, Dean M. Schroeder and Tony Fadell.

What books should I add read and update on this list? Please leave me a comment.