The Technical Product Manager – 15 Tips to Help You Become One

Looking to understand more about the Technical Product Manager role? You’ve come to the right place. See, Product Management and the tech industry are kind of like conjoined twins – they’re deeply connected. Most PMs you’ll find in the wild will be working at tech-orientated companies. Heck, all those FAANG companies that popularized Product Management can all be considered businesses in the tech industry.

At companies like these, you’ll not only manage roadmaps and navigate the Product Management lifecycle like usual, but you’ll also need to juggle significant technical requirements.

Hence the creation of the Technical Product Manager. 

Now here’s the thing: I’m willing to bet that as time goes on, more classic, traditional Product Managers will be expected to have Technical Product Manager skills and capabilities. 

So to help you be prepared, why not get ahead of the curve and learn how to become a Technical Product Manager before it becomes the norm?

To do that, we’ve put together 15, easy-to-implement tips to help you make the transition from PM to Technical Product Manager. These tips will make stepping into a Technical Product Manager role super easy, and give you more options for your career.

Let’s get straight to it!

1. Be clear on what a Technical Product Manager is

So what is a Technical Product Manager? In a nutshell, a Technical Product Manager is a specialized version of the core Product Manager, where your responsibilities lean heavily toward technically complex tasks. The role bridges the gap between technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring the product is both user-centric and technically feasible.

A Technical PM is a specialized role, but it’s not the only one. Over the years, we’ve seen roles like:

• Growth Product Managers
• Data Product Managers
• AI Product Managers

With each of these roles, a specific focus is highlighted that dictates what that PM’s main priority should be. A Growth PM is laser-focused on driving product growth, a Data PM uses data to guide decisions, and a Technical PM manages and builds technically complex products.

Let’s put it this way. In a football team, you have your offense and defense. Now you could single out a player as part of the offense and get the gist of what they do – they’re there to help the team score touchdowns. But we don’t know exactly how. 

So we give them a more specific job role like Wide Receiver, and now we know they’re the one hanging by the edge of the field to get the ball thrown to them. Calling a PM a technical PM is the same concept – we now know what they’re focusing on when getting a product to market 🏈.

2. Know the difference between a Product Manager and a Technical Product Manager

To become a Technical Product Manager, you need to understand what sets the role apart. What makes it unique? Well, the true answer is that a Technical PM will be doing a lot of what a Product Manager already does, with extra responsibilities. 

Here’s a side-by-side comparison going through the high-level focuses and aims of each role, and what is shared between the two:

As you can see, a Technical PM is still going to be doing everything in the Product Management lifecycle, but there’s an increased focus on tech-focused tasks, like making sure that it’s feasible, that the code is well written, and that it meets regulatory standards.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. Some believe the Technical PM will eventually become indistinguishable from a core Product Manager. In other words, the baseline responsibilities of a Product Manager may soon include the technical requirements of a TPM. 

So, while the distinction is clear now, the lines are likely to blur.

We’ve seen this trend with other specialized roles. Growth Product Managers have become the fastest rising since 2020 as companies lean on their products to recover lost revenue.

Today, fewer new Growth PM roles are being advertised, but the need hasn’t vanished. Instead, all Product Managers are expected to take on growth-focused responsibilities – regardless of title. The same will likely happen with Technical PMs in the future.

3. Be clear on the responsibilities of a Technical Product Manager

The role of a Technical Product Manager is a blend of strategy, technical expertise, and stakeholder management. While a core Product Manager focuses on the what and why of a product, a TPM dives deeper into the how, working closely with Engineering teams to ensure feasibility, scalability, and efficiency.

So, what exactly does a Technical Product Manager do? Here’s a breakdown of the key responsibilities so that you know:

• Define technical product strategy: Align product decisions with the company’s long-term technology vision and evaluate emerging tech.
• Own backlog and prioritization: Balance business needs with engineering constraints, ensuring technical debt isn’t ignored.
• Bridge the gap with Engineering: Work closely with developers to break down complex requirements and remove blockers.
• Oversee system architecture and integrations: Ensure seamless API connections and tech stack compatibility.
• Champion security and compliance: Stay ahead of GDPR, SOC 2, and other industry regulations.
• Assess technical feasibility: Validate ideas with Engineering before committing resources.
• Optimize performance and scalability: Prevent bottlenecks and ensure systems can handle growth.
• Support incident management: Troubleshoot outages, work with Engineers and communicate updates.
• Drive data-driven decisions: Define key metrics, analyze technical performance and back decisions with data.

4. Get to grips with Technical Product Manager terms 

Diving into the world of Technical Product Management introduces a whole new set of industry jargon that can feel like everyone around you is speaking Elvish at first. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of technical terms and abbreviations.

To become a successful Technical PM, you’ll need to get comfortable with this vocabulary. Luckily, we’ve put together a handy jargon-buster to help you navigate these tech-heavy terms with ease.

Here are the key Technical Product Manager terms you need to know:

• API 📡: A set of protocols and tools that allow different software applications to communicate with each other, enabling integration of third-party services and functionalities into a product. (Check out our integrations to see how powerful good API can be)
• Technical debt 💸: The cost of maintaining and updating software that was built quickly or inefficiently, which accumulates over time as shortcuts in coding or design create long-term problems that need to be addressed.
• System architecture🏗️: The high-level structure of a software system, outlining its components and how they interact, ensuring scalability and performance across hardware, software, and network configurations.
• Scalability 📈: The ability of a system to handle increasing amounts of work or to be enlarged to accommodate growth without sacrificing performance or requiring a complete redesign.
• Microservices 🧩: An architectural style where a product is built as a collection of small, independently deployable services, improving flexibility and scalability by allowing each service to be developed and maintained separately.
• CI/CD 🔄: A set of practices that enable development teams to frequently integrate code changes (CI) and automatically deploy them to production environments (CD), reducing errors and speeding up product delivery.
• Version control 🔖: A system that tracks changes to code, allowing developers to collaborate efficiently, revert to previous versions, and manage different iterations of a product. Git is a popular version control system.
• Containerization 📦: A method of packaging software into isolated containers, ensuring that applications run consistently across different computing environments, commonly using technologies like Docker.
• Load balancing ⚖️: The process of distributing incoming network traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server is overwhelmed, enhancing system reliability, uptime, and performance.

5. Know your system architecture and APIs like the back of your hand

Now that you know what APIs and system architecture are, you should next learn more about them in relation to your own product. These two terms are some of the most important in Technical Product Management, so they’re worth focusing on.

A Product Manager must know their product inside and out – its users, market positioning, value, key features, and use cases. A Technical PM needs all that knowledge plus a strong grasp of how the product actually works from an engineering perspective.

Since a Technical PM ensures technical feasibility, pushing a feature that disrupts the product’s structure means you’re missing the mark. Understanding how features fit together helps you introduce new ones without breaking what already works.

If you’re unfamiliar with concepts like system or product architecture, our glossary can help you get up to speed and strengthen your understanding of your product’s foundations.

Likewise, understanding your APIs is essential for planning integrations and ensuring your product fits seamlessly into your customers’ existing ecosystems. Your product is going to be a hard sell if it doesn’t fit in with the suite of tools your customers are already using, so understanding your APIs and capabilities can help you prioritize product updates and improvements. 

6. Perfect your core Product Management skills

Just because you’re transforming from a PM to a Technical Product Manager doesn’t mean you can forget everything you know. In fact, you’re going to need to sharpen various Product Management skills to excel in this role. 

As you’ve seen in tip 2, there’s a lot of overlap between a Product Manager and Tech PM, so holding onto the skills that got you through the door is vital. 

Here’s the Product Management skills you need to keep and ideally improve upon:

• Strategic thinking 🧠: Even as a Technical PM, you need to understand the larger product vision and how your technical decisions align with broader business objectives. It’s important to remain focused on long-term goals while considering short-term trade-offs.
• User-centric mindset 👤: Whether you’re dealing with technical specs or APIs, never lose sight of the user. A deep understanding of your users’ pain points and needs is fundamental to ensuring the product delivers real value and aligns with customer expectations.
• Prioritization 📌: The ability to prioritize features, tasks, and fixes is a crucial skill for any PM. As a Technical PM, you’ll need to weigh technical debt, system constraints, and user needs when making tough decisions about what should be worked on next.
• Roadmapping 🗺️: A strong roadmap sets the direction for your product. As a Technical PM, you’ll need to create and manage detailed product roadmaps that outline key milestones and align technical capabilities with business priorities.
• Problem-solving 🔧: Every Product Manager must be a problem-solver. For a Technical PM, this means having the ability to troubleshoot issues, think critically about potential solutions, and guide teams through technical challenges that could impact product delivery.
• Stakeholder management 🤝: You’ll still need to work with cross-functional teams and external stakeholders. Balancing technical feasibility with business needs and ensuring stakeholders are aligned and informed is an essential skill for driving product success.
• Execution and Delivery 🚀: No matter how technical your role is, delivering the product is the end goal. Having a keen eye for execution – ensuring deadlines are met, features are tested, and products are delivered on time – is a must-have skill.
• Data-driven decision-making 📊: A Technical PM needs to back up decisions with data. Understanding analytics and using data to measure product performance, user behavior, and system performance is crucial for fine-tuning features and improvements.
• Adaptability 🌀: The product development landscape is constantly shifting. A great Technical PM can adopt a pivot strategy quickly, adjusting their approach to accommodate changes in the tech stack, market conditions, or user needs without losing sight of the bigger picture.
• Collaboration with Design teams 🎨: As a Technical PM, you will often work alongside Design teams to ensure that the product’s technical side supports the desired user experience. Understanding design principles and collaborating effectively is vital in creating a seamless product.

7. Improve communication skills to manage stakeholders

Like every type of Product Manager, you’ll be juggling multiple stakeholders, but as a Technical Product Manager, you’ll likely find yourself communicating with Engineers and Developers more often than most. 

This means you need to be fluent in their language – not just technically, but in terms of how they approach problems, prioritize tasks, and break things down into manageable pieces.

You might recognize this common scenario for Technical PMs: being caught between a rock and a hard place as your C-Suite requests a feature that your Engineers can’t deliver. 

Suddenly you’re in the middle, trying to manage expectations and keep everyone happy. This is where your stakeholder alignment skills come into play. You’ll need to balance the needs of different departments, like Sales pushing for features and Engineers warning about technical debt, and make decisions that move the product forward without alienating anyone.

Mastering the art of saying no to stakeholders is essential when you’re managing stakeholders with competing demands. It’s not just about saying “no” but understanding when and how to negotiate, set expectations, and offer alternative solutions that keep the product moving forward. 

8. Develop the technical skills to stand out as a Technical Product Manager 

A specialized role like that of a Technical Product Manager demands specialized skills – specific knowledge and characteristics that can help you meet the demands of the position.

So, what technical skills do you need to refine that you might not already be well-versed in as a core Product Manager?

Here are a few key technical skills you should hone to succeed as a Technical PM:

Agile methodology knowledge

While you’re probably familiar with Agile from your experience as a core PM, you need a deeper, more comprehensive understanding of this role. Tech companies rely heavily on agile practices, and as a Technical PM, you’ll need to not only understand it but also be able to lead and coach teams through agile processes, such as sprints, stand-ups, and retrospectives.

Look for Agile certification courses, attend Agile workshops, or participate in Agile coaching sessions to get a more hands-on experience.

Product prototyping 

As a Technical PM, you’ll often need to help translate ideas into workable products. Prototyping allows you to quickly visualize and test concepts, ensuring that ideas align with user needs before full-scale development.

Start using prototyping tools like Figma or Sketch, and explore courses in UX/UI design to get comfortable with turning abstract ideas into interactive prototypes.

To really enhance your Product Prototyping capabilities, you can also AI prototyping tools for Product Managers like Replit. 

Data analysis and extraction

While every PM deals with data, a Technical PM must be particularly adept at analyzing and interpreting technical data, such as system performance, error logs, and usage analytics, to make informed product decisions.

To be more comfortable with data, take online courses in data analysis or tools like SQL, Python, or Tableau to build your analytical skills. Familiarizing yourself with key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics will also help you track and optimize product performance.

Technical writing

As a Technical PM, you’ll need to document features, technical specifications, and APIs in a clear, concise manner. Strong technical writing skills are essential for communicating complex ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Practice writing technical documentation, and explore technical writing courses or workshops. Read well-regarded tech blogs and documentation to get a sense of how clear, user-friendly documentation is structured.

Understanding of DevOps practices

DevOps practices are essential for ensuring seamless collaboration between Development and Operations teams, especially when managing continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. Familiarizing yourself with these processes will ensure you’re aligned with Engineering teams and help you identify bottlenecks or opportunities for optimization.

To improve, attend DevOps-related webinars, or look for online courses covering CI/CD, automation, and the tools typically used in DevOps (such as Jenkins or Docker).

Risk management and troubleshooting

Understanding potential risks associated with new features or product releases is key for any Technical PM. This includes not only identifying technical risks but also understanding how to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues in collaboration with Engineering teams. Being able to predict, mitigate, and address issues will keep your product’s development on track.

Work alongside Engineering teams to identify risks in product development or previous launches. Reading books on risk management or taking specific courses in troubleshooting can also help you build this skill.

9. Learn basic programming to speak your Engineer’s language

There was one Technical Product Manager skill we left out of the above, and that’s because it needs to be singled out. That is knowing how to code.

Now, before you run off and try learning every coding language under the sun, it’s best to focus on the main ones used by Engineers. These are:

• JavaScript – Often used for front-end development, and increasingly important in full-stack development.
• Python – Known for its versatility, Python is widely used in data science, machine learning, and backend development.
• SQL – A must-have for querying databases and extracting relevant data for product decisions.

Now you can go off and develop your coding skills in a few different ways. You can put yourself through a hackathon that tests your coding skills under pressure, create open-source projects that experienced coders can help you with, or shadow your current Engineers.

If you find coding tough, you’re in luck, as you only need a basic understanding for this role. Plus, if you get stuck, there are plenty of great AI tools that can help you understand and write code, helping to fill in the blanks as you learn.

We recommend Cursor, but that’s just one of the many great AI tools for Product Managers. As AI becomes embedded in Product Management – and especially in the Technical PM role – learning about the best tools available to you can boost your efficiency and make your job much easier.

10. Understand the basics of security and compliance

Security and compliance aren’t just for Engineers or legal teams – they’re key responsibilities for a Technical Product Manager. A product that isn’t secure or compliant can lead to data breaches, fines, and lost customer trust. Since you define requirements and influence technical decisions, understanding security ensures best practices are built in from the start.

Familiarize yourself with key principles like data encryption, authentication (OAuth, SSO), and API security. Know industry compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2. Even if you’re not implementing them, understanding these requirements helps you ask the right questions and ensure security is a priority.

To improve, take security courses, read industry guidelines, and work with security and legal teams. Reviewing security incidents in your field can also keep you proactive. A strong foundation in security and compliance helps protect your product, user data, and regulatory standing.

11. Nail prioritization with the best frameworks for Technical Product Managers

Frameworks can be a game-changer for a Technical Product Manager, helping with validation, prioritization, and decision-making. When used correctly, they provide a structured approach to solving complex problems, ensuring you focus on the most impactful work while balancing technical feasibility.

Of course, you should never blindly follow Product Management frameworks. They need to suit the situation and make sense at the time. It’s like math formulas – Pythagoras’ theorem is great for finding the length of a triangle but useless for calculating the surface area of a cube. The key is knowing which framework to apply in different contexts rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.

Here are five frameworks every Technical Product Manager should have in their toolkit to pull out when the time is right:

• RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort): A structured way to prioritize features and initiatives based on their potential value and effort required.
• Kano Model: Helps assess customer delight by categorizing features as basic expectations, performance drivers, or delightful surprises.
• MoSCoW (Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Won’t-Have): A simple framework for prioritizing requirements based on necessity.
• Cost of Delay (CoD): Helps quantify the impact of delaying a feature, making it easier to justify prioritization decisions.
• Opportunity Solution Tree: A visual framework for mapping problems, opportunities, and solutions, ensuring you tackle the right challenges first.

12. Apply for companies that actually need a Technical Product Manager 

Not every company is looking for a Technical Product Manager. If you’re holding out hope that your current company will eventually create the role, you could be waiting forever. To land this job, you need to target the right companies – ones that actually need and value technical specialization.

This role is far more common in larger enterprise organizations that can justify the specialization. Smaller companies tend to have generalist Product Managers who wear multiple hats, handling both technical and non-technical responsibilities. If your goal is to be a dedicated Technical PM, you need to work at a company where the demand for one exists.

This also means you’ll likely need experience in enterprise environments. If your background is primarily in startups or small teams with limited budgets, you may not stand out as the ideal candidate for companies looking for a Technical PM. Hiring managers at enterprise-level businesses often prioritize candidates who have navigated complex technical roadmaps, collaborated with large Engineering teams, and worked within structured development processes.

So how do you get on the radar of these companies? You can grow into the role by evolving with your current organization – though that’s not guaranteed – or you can proactively transition into a larger business through strategic networking, upskilling, and gaining relevant experience in enterprise-grade products.

13. Prepare for Technical Product Manager interview questions 

The Product Manager interview is perhaps one of the hardest in the world. Multiple stages, tough questions, and a lot of competition. The process for a Technical Product Manager isn’t any easier. These are going to have more focused questions and really test your technical knowledge, so you’re going to have to be prepared. You can’t wing this. 

As well as the general Product Manager interview questions, here are some of the most common Technical Product Manager interview questions and what they’re trying to learn from these questions: 

Can you explain the role of a Technical Product Manager in simple terms, as if you were talking to a 7-year-old?

This question is asked for two reasons. It shows off how well you know the role and your experience with it, as well as your ability to be clear – something super important when talking with Engineers (who we’re not comparing to seven-year-olds – we promise 😉) 

A great answer will be clear and simple, avoiding jargon. Something like:

“I help build cool products by working with Engineers to make sure what we create is technically possible.”

What technical skills do you have that make you stand out from other candidates?

This question is designed to evaluate your technical knowledge and expertise. They want to understand your background and whether your technical skill set will complement the existing team. While coding skills aren’t usually expected, understanding key technical concepts is crucial.

To nail this, highlight technical skills such as knowledge of APIs, system architecture, technical writing, data analysis, or familiarity with agile methodologies.

How would you approach resolving a technical problem or unexpected issue?

This question assesses your problem-solving and decision-making skills, especially when dealing with technical challenges. A Technical PM often faces hurdles that need creative, quick, and effective solutions. The interviewer wants to see if you follow best practices, and how you handle pressure. 

Start by identifying the issue, gathering necessary information, and working with your Engineering team to brainstorm solutions. Show that you can remain calm under pressure and make decisions based on data and team input. If possible, include examples from past experience where you handled a technical issue successfully.

What aspects of our product would you change or improve, and why?

This question tests your critical thinking, understanding of the product, and whether you’ve done research on their company. It also assesses how well you can balance user needs, technical feasibility, and business goals.

A thoughtful, constructive critique of their product based on research is what’s needed here. Focus on areas where there’s room for improvement – whether it’s usability, features, or performance – and justify your suggestions. Make sure to back your points with reasoning and explain how the changes could benefit the user experience or business goals.

In addition to these questions, you’re also going to be asked a lot about Product Sense – The Product Manager version of common sense. There may even be an entire interview stage for this that you’re going to have to master.

14. Get a Technical Product Manager mentor to show you the ropes

Loads of Product Managers have mentors, and if you want to excel as a Technical Product Manager, finding one should be a high priority. Technical PMs operate at the intersection of product strategy and engineering, which means there’s a steep learning curve – especially if you’re transitioning from a more traditional Product Management role.

A mentor, coach, or Product Consultant, can help you navigate this transition, offering real-world insights that aren’t always covered in courses or books. They can provide guidance on working effectively with Engineers, breaking down complex technical concepts, and making informed prioritization decisions. Plus, they can help you avoid common pitfalls and accelerate your growth.

To find a mentor, start by exploring your network – look for seasoned Technical PMs in your company or industry. Join Product Management communities, attend events, and engage in online discussions. 

We actually partner with a few Product Coaches and mentors at ProdPad, you can find some great teachers who can help you improve as a PM. 

15. Stay up-to-date on emerging tech trends to keep ahead of the curve

Technology moves fast, and as a Technical Product Manager, you need to keep up. Staying updated on emerging tech trends is about anticipating changes that could impact your product and strategic decisions. Falling behind means your competitors get ahead.

Advancements in AI, new software development frameworks, and more can influence product decisions. Understanding what’s coming next helps you explore new opportunities, assess risks, and have informed discussions with Engineers and stakeholders.

To stay ahead, make continuous learning a habit. Subscribe to industry newsletters, follow Product Leaders on Twitter and LinkedIn, and read popular blogs in the tech industry. Attend conferences and webinars to learn about emerging technologies and experiment with new tools yourself.

The best Technical PMs anticipate trends. By staying informed, you’ll position yourself as a forward-thinking leader who can guide your team through the ever-changing tech landscape.

The tech industry’s Product Manager

And with those 15 tips, you should have all you need to excel as a Technical Product Manager. Becoming a successful TPM means striking a balance between managing the full Product Management process and diving deep into the technical side. From understanding security and compliance to staying ahead of emerging tech trends, these 15 tips will help you confidently step into a more technical PM role

As you continue to develop your skills, remember that mastering the full product lifecycle is just as important as technical expertise. If you want to dive even deeper into Product Management and refine your approach, check out our Product Management Process Handbook. It’s designed to give you the tools and strategies to navigate the complexities of both technical and non-technical aspects of the role, helping you become the best PM you can be, whatever your job description.