Welcome to all those who are receiving an issue from SIP for the first time. And, if you are already subscribed, thank you for sticking around and taking out 5 mins from your day for this email.

With October starting, that has meant a lot of time and effort towards planing the roadmap for the next quarter. Planning can be a very daunting and exhausting task, especially if the product is in its growth stages.

Also, it means a lot of caffeine (and sugar 😂).

But, roadmap planning is one of the most important tasks a PM can do. If done right, it allows you to set up the team effectively to execute and deliver with minimal intervention.

This week's highlights:

❤️ Special - 4 key lessons I've learned to become a better product manager
🎨 Design - Product Designer vs Product Manager: what’s the difference anyway?
📂 Business - 3 Prioritization Techniques All Product Managers Should Know
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​and more.

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❤️ 4 key lessons I've learned to become a better product manager​

Like most of us, Yi Hui did not begin her career as a PM. And so that means a lot of learning on the job.

Switching into a PM career can be terrifying. There is so much happening in parallel, that skills like project management and prioritization become your best friends.

In her post, Yi Hui talks about some of her key learnings through her product management journey. She breaks them down into 4 lessons:

1) Product management > project management
2) Be more product-centric
3) Planning and prioritizing
4) What would you do if you were 100% confident?

If you enjoyed her post, feel free to let her know on twitter​

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🎨 Product Designer vs Product Manager: what’s the difference anyway?​

This is a very common question. Their roles can be so intertwined at moments in the product journey, that it makes it seem like the same job sometimes.

Some folks also expect product management to be the next step after product design. In his post, Vadim Grin does a great job of breaking down this question and trying to shed light on the answer.

Grin says:

The working relationship between a designer and a PM can be key to the success of the product and the team.

The best product managers understand the value of UX, and the job of product designers.

Check out the blog post to find out more.

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📂 3 Prioritization Techniques All Product Managers Should Know​

You want to know the key to being a successful product manager?

It’s Prioritization!

As a product manager, requests are coming in from every direction possible. Each function dependent on the product needs something to be prioritized on the roadmap.

As a PM, you have to decide on what needs to be done next. You have to figure out the right priority to have a successful product development roadmap.

The post talks about 3 key prioritization technique:

1) The MoSCoW Method - The name is an acronym of four prioritization categories: Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have.
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​2) RICE Scoring - The RICE scoring system has four categories to help assess priority; Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort
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​3) Kano Model - The Kano model pushes you to think about features under three categories: Delighters, Performance features, and Basic Features.

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Book of the Week:

​Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle McDowell and Jackie Bavaro

Why you should read - Cracking the PM Interview has become the #1 interview prep book for aspiring product managers.

This book is one stop shop for landing a product management role in a startup or a bigger tech company. The book talks about the PM role across various companies and how to make your experience stand out. The book is a staple on any aspiring PM's bookshelf.

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Job Board:

Entry - ​Product Manager, consumer growth @ Calm​
Intermediate - Senior Product Manager @ Twitter Blue​
Advanced - Group Product Manager, Uber Eats Search & Discovery @ Uber​

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