Technical Program Manager's Handbook: Empowering managers to efficiently manage technical projects and build a successful career path

Great introduction book to the TPM role and it is really easy to read.

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) role is one of the most misunderstood roles in the tech industry, despite it being pivotal for running a successful software development program. I have been in this field for 10 years and have found that every company defines the role in a different way, as the author notes in this book.This book is such a wonderful reference for TPMs because it recognizes this lack of clarity in the field and also defines the role while maintaining a realistic understanding that the reader will encounter different expectations depending on the company. In this vein, the book goes into details of how an individual can run a successful program. The book provides guidance on defining the role, running effective projects and programs, and helpful tools. This is general enough that the reader can adapt it to their own role, but a specific example program is used throughout the book to give the reader more explicit instructions.A great book for new TPMs and seasoned ones hoping to drive role standardization in their company.

This book has a lot of useful information, but nothing really groundbreaking. I suppose this would be a fantastic introduction to being a TPM, but I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for advanced project management techniques or a more clear and digestible reference guide.

This book’s title aptly describes its content, and it delivers. One of the best parts of this book is that it breaks down the difference between projects and programs. These are so often lumped together, but they have unique considerations that deserve separate treatment. Managing stakeholders is another prized chapter and it walks through a sample status report. One of the overarching themes, and appropriately so, is clarity.Two areas that could have been covered in greater detail are managing a geographically dispersed workforce (to include offshore), and the shift to work-from home. Otherwise, this is a great book and worth the read for newly promoted IT managers and directors as well as those that aspire to those positions.

This is a good basic intro to being a TPM, unfortunately the more useful deep dive at the end is more geared towards software companies not hardware focused companies.

Needed more to learn from this book

This book masterfully introduces the role of TPM to those looking to break into the field or who are entirely new to it, emphasizing the essential skills necessary for success in most companies. What's more, the author astutely acknowledges the discrepancies in how the role is perceived across various organizations, such as Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, etc.As a seasoned TPM myself, I can confirm that the skills emphasized in the book, such as promoting clarity, managing programs, and handling stakeholders, are skills that I, and all TPMs, utilize daily in our work.I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is considering entering the realm of TPM or for those who are just embarking on their journey in this role.

This book does a fantastic job of assisting you in comprehending all the essential ideas and visualizing the interaction. This is essential to have for your reference if you want to learn more about the TPM role. The book's well-organized, self-explanatory layout and abundance of useful examples from TPM's real-world experiences make it a great resource for understanding difficult ideas. It was easy to see the author's knowledge and expertise, and his ability to explain difficult ideas in a straightforward manner made the book enjoyable to read. The author used ideas from real-world situations at various points, which deepened my comprehension of how they interacted with program management and, consequently, how completely TPM elements are addressed. TPM details are covered very thoroughly and additional insights are provided by an experienced TPM who is actually managing real life programs. I highly recommend this book to all TPMs.