I've just finished my studies (in both computer science and digital business), and I'll start my first full time job in two weeks. I'll be a Product Manager in a web startup.
Do you have any advice or good books to read on the subject?
Thanks!
Rule number two: get to know the customers well. If you're bogged down in a hundred different internal meetings you might be very productively building exactly the wrong thing.
It can be hard to balance these two things sometimes, but they're both really important.
There's a lot more to it than that, but product management is mostly learnt on the job. If you're just starting out, and have no product management experience, you're probably not the only product manager at your company. Glom on to someone who seems to know what they're doing and get mentored. Ask the people you interact with what they're looking for in a product manager. Be a sponge.
Good luck!
The first way is that you're going to ask a question you think I understand, and I'm going to answer your question in a way I think you understand, when in reality we're speaking two different languages. The result will wind up making both of us look bad.
The second is that I'm going to tell you something is done when it's not. This is really a follow-on of the first item - I'm going to think that it's done, because I've done everything you asked me to, but when you look at it's going to be clear that it's not done, because something assumed didn't get done.
I'd recommend you read Rapid Development and/or Code Complete, if you haven't already. They are important books, that will be a good read for you even if they are more for the programmer perspective.
If there are any aspects of this you aren't familiar with, at least understand how they contribute value to the product management lifecycle so you can learn more and/or hire someone to help where needed.
http://www.pragmaticmarketing.com/about-us/framework
I'm also a big fan of usability testing and getting in front of users for different kind of qualitative testing (e.g. concept testing) generally. It's easy not to bother with this step when everyone thinks they know what the product/customer needs.
When you're put in a management position its usually because you're good at doing something. Good do-ers tend to want to do everything themselves because they know best, but when you're in management that can cripple you. This book will prevent you from making all sorts of mistakes right off the bat.
http://www.amazon.com/One-Minute-Manager-Meets-Monkey/dp/068...
Strive to nail that, to get to a place where your normal mode, your "instincts", are driven by genuine user empathy.
If you struggle with this, either keep working at it or look around for other roles you can play. If you can't get comfortable caring deeply about your users, you're probably not going to be able to help your team or your organization build great products for those users.
Proably the more usefull sections for you are "Tech lead" and "Program manager".