April 21, 2022
The 12 Product Management Books to Read in 2022
Product management books are a great way to learn more about the industry. Let's go over why they're important and our top picks you should read.
Product management books are a great way to learn more about the industry. Let's go over why they're important and our top picks you should read.
Product management books are a great way to learn more about the industry. Let's go over why they're important and our top picks you should read.
Learning is an open-ended process, and good product managers know that they always have more to learn no matter their skill or experience level. And while books shouldn't be your only source of product management advice, they're a great place to start.
Some people think that in order to become a better PM, you should only target information in the product management world. But that's not true. Good product managers pull information from user design, marketing, sprint planning and more, and it's important to not keep your focus too narrow.
We've put together a list of our top favourite product management books, on everything from creating a product plan to marketing to UX design. These will help you gain the information you need to maximize your potential and be the best product manager possible.
Marty Cagan is best known for founding the Silicon Valley Product Group, which has helped inspire countless product managers around the world. This book goes over everything he's learned over the years and the most valuable lessons he has for product managers.
This book comes from the former PM of Pixar and the CEO of Product School. It's all about product management life, with practical examples that can help everyone from beginners to experienced PMs.
Ferris' book is a collection of advice and first-hand experiences from over 130 successful professionals from every industry and background. Whether you're looking for prioritization strategies or product strategy advice, it's a great way to learn more about the product management world.
The Lean Product Playbook is a step-by-step guide on Lean methodology for startups. Olsen has taken his experience as a tech consultant to create an actionable, 6-step model to help startups find product-market fit based on customer feedback. Even if you aren't using Lean methodology for your product, there are still lessons that can be learned from this book.
Eyal wrote this book as a guide for people in the same position as he was when he started in the industry. His method, the Hook Model, helps companies encourage customer engagement without requiring expensive and aggressive marketing campaigns. This book will help explain how to create products that become habits for your customers in order to create a loyal user base.
Several of ProductSchool's books made our shortlist, but we chose this one because it puts the focus on customers--one of the key parts of any successful product. This book shares advice and leadership from PMs at huge companies like Spotify, Netflix and Intercom that'll help you grow your product.
Perri's book serves as an all-in-one PM course on product planning that prioritizes outcomes over output intentions. She discusses what she refers to as the 'Build Trap', an area that companies that rely too much on outputs tend to get stuck in and waste time, resources and energy on with little benefit. Instead, her book takes a customer-centric approach to product development that helps teams optimize collaboration and communication.
This book wants you to know the difference between product management and product leadership to help you be better at both. First and foremost, the authors see product management as a mindset rather than an occupation, and they want product leaders to focus more on the why of their work rather than the how. The book also has many practical examples to learn from and help you see your team in a new light.
Rosenzweig's book focuses on pseudoscience in the business world to steer away from, including advice you may have heard before from other books or business schools. Instead, it'll help you sharpen your skepticism about any new advice you may hear and helps you seek out the advice that will actually help.
Every product manager should know some of the basic UX principles in order to build better, more user-friendly products, even if it's a little outside your wheelhouse. This book will help you incorporate the best practices and principles of UX design to make your products better-rounded and give your team an edge.
Ferguson's book tackles the grey zone between your first design sprint and initial outcomes, where many teams can struggle to keep momentum and stay focused. Beyond The Prototype helps you overcome these struggles and launch your product with a six-step framework, complete with examples from companies like Adobe and Google.
The last book on this list puts the focus back on product leadership, especially for newer product leaders. The industry can be tough, and finding your stride can be difficult--especially if you don't have the confidence or experience some do. Dare to Lead gives you the frameworks, techniques and approaches to grow into your role and gain the confidence you need to lead in the industry.
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