More useful product knowledge & materials

Here you can learn more about Technical, QA, and Data that help you work seamlessly with your team.

Technical Knowledge

You’ll get to know about more about the front-end and back-end and how they are operating. This is all about the basic engineering stuff that helps you to understand your developers better.

How does a website/app work?

The world of technology can be confusing, but understanding the basics will help you, as a product owner, to work and collaborate better with the team.

Basics about Web Frontend

The frontend is the part of a website that users interact with directly. It’s comprised of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Basics about Web Backend

Backend development refers to the creation and maintenance of software components that run behind a website.

Git & GitHub

Git is a crucial tool in software engineering, serving as a version history for code in a similar way to Google History or Confluence history.

How to Put a Website on the Internet

In this post, I’ll show you the process of hosting your website on GitHub Pages so that you can put your website online.

Chrome Devtools

DevTools provide a rich set of features such as inspecting and modifying HTML and CSS, profiling JavaScript, analyzing network traffic, and debugging errors

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance or quality control is a must-have step while building a product. Some teams will have dedicated QA team, some don’t. In that case, the PO will cover that part. Hence, I’ll share with you some testing process, methods, and best practices to help you do your best job in both cases.

Automation Testing with Katalon – Part 1

The world of technology can be confusing, but understanding the basics will help you, as a product owner, to work and collaborate better with the team.

Automation Testing with Katalon – Part 2

The frontend is the part of a website that users interact with directly. It’s comprised of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Automation Testing with Katalon – Part 3

Backend development refers to the creation and maintenance of software components that run behind a website.

Data Analytics
(updating)

One of the most important things that product teams miss is user tracking. Without tracking, it’s like walking in the dark and you have no idea where you are heading to. Therefore, being data-driven will help you know whether you are building the right thing and where are you on the path to meet product goals.

Random lessons

One of the most important things that product teams miss is user tracking. Without tracking, it’s like walking in the dark and you have no idea where you are heading to. Therefore, being data-driven will help you know whether you are building the right thing and where are you on the path to meet product goals.

Survivorship bias – Important missing data

The reason behind why we are missing certain pieces of data may be more meaningful than the data we have.

Ask users for Problems, not Solutions

Our users are the best Problems finders as they use the product in reality. However, they are the worst solution finder as they have no expertise in technology

The MVP should be a prototype, not a product

Most of the time, the team would wait until they have a functional product to validate with the user. And the problem is, it’s too late.

Work expands to fill the time available

If you have a task to complete, and you set a deadline that is too far in the future or open-ended, you’ll find yourself spending more time on the task than necessary.

A simple tip to handle your customer complaint

No one likes to feel dismissed when they complain about something. Small issues can escalate into bigger problems when they are not addressed properly.

Motivation is overrated; Environment matters more

People often choose products not because of what they are, but because of where they are.

How to never miss a thing

In software product development, mistakes can have costly consequences. They can lead to delays, project failures, and even security breaches.

Helpful Materials

On my self-learning journey, I came across many interesting and helpful materials that I believe you might need. Hence, I compile them into this space and share with you. Enjoy it!
Awesome Free Product courses

I was scrolling on LinkedIn and found this priceless list of Product courses. The interesting thing about them is they are all free (and some even come with certification)! Let’s see what we have.

Product-led Certification Course
This certification course is designed to teach the foundations of product-led strategy. The course teaches you how to launch successful product-led products and organizations. After completing the course, you will have a better understanding of product-led best practices, how to create products with a user-first mindset, and how to leverage data to measure the impact of your product-led strategies. Upon completion, a Product-led Certified badge will be awarded.
- Use this code to get 100% off the price: learnwithpawel
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Link: https://lnkd.in/dhcC8z8n

Product Analytics Certification Course
This product analytics course is designed to teach the foundations of a product analytics strategy. The course teaches you how to foster a data-driven product organization and use analytics to drive product decisions. Upon completion, a Product Analytics Certified badge will be awarded.
- Use this code to get 100% off the price: learnwithpawel
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Link: https://lnkd.in/gQCiXdDB

A/B Testing & Optimization
This free course teaches you 15 essential lessons on A/B testing and optimization. The lessons cover basic concepts, common pitfalls, and proven methods for evaluating and scaling results. This course is highly recommended if you want to learn the best practices of A/B testing.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dVB8Y8HU

Introduction to Design Thinking
This free course helps you understand the essence of design thinking and innovation. The course covers the Stanford design thinking process and teaches you how to empathize with your user and prototype solutions to their problems.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dDtV_XRP

Personalization & Targeting Course
This free course teaches you how to develop and scale programs for personalized experiences. The course explains the importance of product personalization and gives you tips to get started.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dn8Du7xP

Product Design
This course blends theory and practice to teach you product validation, user interface and experience practices, the Google Design Sprint, and the process for setting and tracking actionable metrics. The course is designed for anyone who wants to learn product design best practices.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/ddV8aBbQ

Becoming a Product Manager
This course covers the most crucial topics in product management and helps you understand the skills that are necessary for success in the role. The course gives you an overview of the entire product management development cycle, including product ideation and analytics.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dksTzpP9

Become a tech-literate PM
This list contains six free tech courses that will help you land a new job or keep your existing one. This list is updated after receiving feedback from the community and is specifically targeted towards individuals who want to keep up with the trends and best practices in the tech industry.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dyED9sPh

Generative AI learning path
This learning path by Google Cloud teaches 11 free courses on AI. The courses cover the basics of generative AI, LLM, responsible AI, and much more. Upon completion of the courses, you will have a better understanding of AI and how to apply it in your work.
- Link: https://lnkd.in/dByqf_Yt

The Ultimate IQ Test Book

If you’re preparing for an interview, especially for a product owner, product manager, or business analyst role, you know that it’s important to be ready for any assessment that comes your way. One of the most common types of assessments is an IQ test, which measures your cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills. That’s where this book comes in.The Ultimate IQ Test Book is the biggest book of IQ practice tests available, with over 1,000 questions covering a wide range of topics. It includes both verbal and numerical questions, as well as tests on spatial ability, logical reasoning, and problem solving. The book is designed to help you prepare for IQ tests and improve your overall cognitive abilities.

Download it here.

60+ Product Interview Questions and Answers

The below document, prepared by Diwakar Kumar Singh, is a valuable resource for anyone preparing for a product management interview. It includes a wide range of questions covering topics such as product strategy, user research, metrics and analytics, and cross-functional communication.

The document provides detailed answers to each question, which can serve as a helpful guide for your own preparation. It also includes links to additional resources on each topic, which can be useful if you want to dive deeper into a particular area.

Additionally, the document can help you identify areas where you may need to brush up on your knowledge or skills. For example, if you find that you struggle to answer questions about user research, you can use the links provided to learn more about the topic and strengthen your understanding.

Download it here.

Structured Query Language (SQL) Guide

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a programming language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. It allows you to query data, extract meaningful insights, and make informed decisions. By learning SQL, you can improve your ability to analyze and make use of data, which can ultimately make you a more effective product owner or manager.

Below is the material I came across on SQL, which includes basic syntaxes such as how to create a database, create a table, insert values into a table, and filter results, is a great starting point for anyone who is new to SQL. Once you have a good grasp on the basics, you can move on to more advanced topics, such as using JOIN tables and UNIONs.

Download it here.

31 Startup Business Models You Must Know

As a product owner or manager, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations in the startup world. This includes understanding different business models that startups are using to generate revenue and grow their businesses. By understanding these models, you can gain insights into what works and what doesn’t, and apply these learnings to your own product or business strategy. Additionally, being aware of different business models can help you identify potential partnerships and investment opportunities.

The below material is a comprehensive guide to the different types of business models used by startups. It provides a basic idea of each model, together with an example of a company that has successfully implemented it. The material includes flowcharts to illustrate how each model works, making it easier to understand. As a product owner or manager, this material can be invaluable in helping you identify new opportunities to grow and monetize your product.

Download it here.

The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Business Plan

Recently, I stumbled upon an excellent document on LinkedIn that stood out to me. It was titled “Writing a Successful Business Plan” and was authored by Stephen Lawrence and Frank Moyes from the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder.

After reading through the document, I realized that it would be incredibly helpful for not just product owners but also product managers and leads. Here are a few reasons why:
- It provides a comprehensive guide to writing a business plan: The document covers all the key components of a business plan, including company overview, product and service, market and industry analysis, marketing plan, operation plan, development plan, management plan, competitive advantage, financial plan, and funding.
- It offers practical tips and advice: The document is full of practical tips and advice that can help product owners and managers to create a business plan that is both effective and achievable.
- It is written by experts in the field: Stephen Lawrence and Frank Moyes are both experts in entrepreneurship and business planning, and their expertise shines through in this document.

Download it here.