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Technical Program Manager's Handbook
Technical Program Manager's Handbook

Technical Program Manager's Handbook: Unlock your TPM potential by leading technical projects successfully and elevating your career path , Second Edition

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Technical Program Manager's Handbook

Fundamentals of a Technical Program Manager

The program manager role has been around for as long as humans have organized to accomplish a goal together as a group. Although the name may not be as old, there were certainly program managers or project managers while building the ancient Egyptian pyramids. A program manager is a generalist in nature and can tackle any project with some proficiency, often running multiple projects concurrently within the same program or across many programs. The Technical Program Manager (TPM) role followed in the program manager’s footsteps to fill a specialized niche with the rise of highly specialized projects and programs. The TPM plays a powerful role in any technical project or program and has carved its way into the tech industry culture as a mainstay position, right alongside software and hardware developers, development managers, and product managers. Even with its ubiquitous role in the industry, the question of what a TPM is and how...

Understanding the modern TPM

In the 1967 book The Technical Program Manager’s Guide to Survival, by Melvin Silverman, the author defines a program as an organization created to accomplish a specific goal. This organization was a group within a company that existed for the sole purpose of achieving the program goals, and it was to be dissolved once the goal was realized. You can see where the computer definition of a program gets its origins – a bit of organized code that executes to accomplish a task or goal! Once the task is complete, the computer program will terminate. Computer programs have evolved in complexity since their early days, as has the TPM, but the origins have a clear connection in meaning and purpose.

I found Mr. Silverman’s book while attempting to uncover the origins of the TPM role. What transpired during this research is that the usage of TPM had a similar evolution to the word program. The term went from a generic use to a more specific...

Learning the fundamentals

Throughout this book, we’ll discuss many concepts that are core to any program manager, as well as some that are more specific to the TPM specialization. Let’s briefly discuss some of these terms so that we have a shared foundation to build upon.

The first terms to discuss are project and program. There are some companies where the “P” in TPM actually refers to “Project” instead of “Program,” and this can lead to some confusion. We’ll cover it in greater detail in Chapter 2, Pillars of a Technical Program Manager, but suffice to say that a program comprises multiple related projects. A project manager may run more than one project at a time, but they may not have a common goal. A program manager runs multiple projects that share a common goal and possibly multiple programs too. With that, let’s tackle some of the key management areas that are common between project and program managers...

Exploring what makes a TPM thrive

This topic comes up in every interview I’ve conducted for the TPM position. I’ve put some thought into everything that a TPM does. The points that I’m going to discuss are not qualities specific to a company, team, or variation on the TPM role, but they are transferable from one position to the next.

Keeping forward momentum

For a TPM to thrive, their focus needs to be on moving the project forward and unblocking their team to get things done. This may sound like a cliché, as though you are reading it from a job description, but it is resoundingly true. Our innate drive to solve roadblocks, build a plan, mitigate risk, and drive toward deadlines are key to a project’s success. It is important to keep momentum on a project because, without it, we risk losing progress and need to start over. Context switching is often to blame here because, during the time a project is blocked, the individuals working on it may...

Comparing adjacent job families

I love Venn diagrams because they show similarities and differences in a very concise and easy-to-follow way. Needless to say, you’ll see a few in this book.

A common question in my profession as a TPM is, what is the value of a TPM? The question is understandable because there is a lot of overlap between our jobs and the jobs of the roles most often adjacent to us in a software or hardware team.

We’ll start by exploring Figure 1.5, which shows the intersection of the roles most similar to the TPM: the Program Manager (PM), and the Product Manager – Technical (PM-T). Just as the TPM is a program manager who specializes in technology, the PM-T is a product manager who specializes in technology. The term PM-T may not be used at every company (just as TPM isn’t used everywhere), but the particulars of the job as they relate to our discussion are the same:

Figure 1.5: A Venn diagram comparing the TPM, PM, and...

Exploring functional competencies across the industry

I’ve worked for most of my life as a TPM at the same company—as such, I was concerned about an unconscious bias of what a TPM is or should be. To combat this, I sought outside perspectives from as many high-profile companies as I could—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Apple. I interviewed TPMs from these organizations and combed through the job boards of these companies to see what each was looking for in a TPM.

I consolidated the interviews and job descriptions into a matrix in Table 1.1 that we’ll dive a bit deeper into. If something pops out to me as different in a particular interview or job post, I’ll call out what it is and why it’s interesting. Since the industry hasn’t settled on a normalized level guideline, I created a three-tier leveling for the sake of brevity. The table covers positions that accept university graduates, which not every company supports. The industry...

Summary

In this chapter, we discussed the fundamentals of being a TPM. We started by explaining where the TPM overlaps with the generalized PM and program management and touched on the bare fundamentals for the technical aspect of our specialization.

Then, we examined the TPM role specifically to see what makes us thrive and found that drive, clarity, and being a communication bridge set us apart from our colleagues. Then, we expanded our view to look more closely into how our specialties overlap with the job families around us and across the industry.

We’ll continue to build on these fundamentals as the book progresses and, as we dive deeper into these topics to get a solid understanding of our role, how to be the most successful at the job, and how to progress your career the way that fits your skills and desires best.

Next, in Chapter 2, we’ll discuss the building blocks, or pillars, of the TPM role. We’ll build on the fundamentals we tackled in...

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Key benefits

  • Learn advanced system design principles and architectural concepts necessary for a TPM
  • Get up to speed with AI-driven project planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication tools
  • Benefit from practical tools, methodologies, case studies, and real-world examples

Description

The role of the Technical Program Manager (TPM) is crucial in the tech industry, bridging the gap between technical expertise and business acumen. The second edition of the Technical Program Manager’s Handbook offers a comprehensive guide to excelling in this role. Building on the foundational concepts from the first edition, this updated version introduces new chapters that explore the integration of AI and Emotional Intelligence (EI) in program management. These crucial additions complement the broader focus of the book on bridging business and technology but don’t overshadow it. You'll learn how to apply AI-driven tools to enhance project planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication, as well as how to leverage EI to build strong team relationships and improve leadership effectiveness. This book provides practical tools, methodologies, and case studies, offering insights from industry leaders to help both aspiring and practicing TPMs apply advanced concepts and strategies effectively. It also explores the unique aspects of the TPM role in major tech companies, helping you to navigate and thrive in your career. By the end of this book, you'll have a clear understanding of the TPM role, along with a breakdown of the necessary technical and program management skills, to develop a clear roadmap for your career.

Who is this book for?

This book is designed for aspiring and established Technical Program Managers (TPMs), tech professionals transitioning into TPM roles, and recent graduates embarking on careers in technology consulting. It's also valuable for business analysts, project managers, and anyone supporting or working alongside TPMs. To fully benefit from this book, readers should have a basic understanding of the project management life cycle and be comfortable with technical concepts, as it dives into advanced topics and real-world applications.

What you will learn

  • Uncover the critical importance of the TPM role in the tech industry
  • Understand and leverage the unique aspects of the TPM role
  • Discover what makes a successful TPM through real-world case studies
  • Master project management with advanced technical skills and AI tools
  • Apply EI to enhance leadership and team management
  • Explore careers and paths for TPMs in the Big Five tech companies

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Sep 30, 2024
Length: 368 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781836200468
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Publication date : Sep 30, 2024
Length: 368 pages
Edition : 2nd
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781836200468
Category :

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Table of Contents

20 Chapters
Section 1: What Is a Technical Program Manager? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Fundamentals of a Technical Program Manager Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Pillars of a Technical Program Manager Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Career Paths Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 2: Fundamentals of Program Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
An Introduction to Program Management Using a Case Study Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Driving Toward Clarity Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Plan Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Risk Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Stakeholder Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Managing a Program Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Emotional Intelligence in Technical Program Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Section 3: Technical Toolset Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
The Technical Toolset Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Code Development Expectations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
System Design and Architecture Landscape Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Technical Program Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Enhancing Management Using Your Technical Toolset Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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(3 Ratings)
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L. Oct 11, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
If I could go back in time and buy myself this book in 2019, it would have saved me countless hours. This book by Joshua Alan Teter, is a shockingly complete reference to being a technical program manager. If you know someone starting a new role, transitioning into the role, or planning to hire anyone who works in this role, this is an excellent and meaty reference.I do ample reading, attend conferences, and have given my own presentations on the topic. I know quite a bit about being a TPM, but I still learned multiple things per chapter. I will use this book going forward. The examples are handy to have for almost every artifact.StatusThe chapter on status cracked me up because as far back as 15 years ago when making my first cross-product roadmaps when reporting quality for the first Adobe Creative Suites (Now Adobe Creative Cloud), I learned the perils of too many colors on the status diagram and coined the phrase, "If it isn't red or green, it can't be seen." I have insisted on stoplight colors for status, defining in advance, and sticking to the colors regardless of what anyone says. If it's defined as orange, it better be orange in the actual status. No Greenish-Orange and no deep dark orange to prevent a red status. The author states this factually and my experience matches their recommendation. Sometimes it is the standard for a good reason. It isn't that no one thought purple and blue might be "more calming". It's that we humans can't hold the definitions in our heads. In diagrams, just like in programming, KISS (keep it simple, smartypants). The cost isn't in the cost to create. It's the cost to read it. It needs to be simple for the audience, not the creator.A few other reviewers felt the git walkthrough was the most helpful part. I already used git and svn before I was ever a TPM, so maybe that is why I felt understanding the TPM levels was more helpful. I appreciated the discussion about emotional intelligence, a crucial aspect of leadership in all contexts.If I had to come up with a criticism, this book is long. It is not an overview. There is as much meat in this book as an entire butcher shop. It is incredibly dense. It is presented factually without too much opinion. I hope I never have to interview competing against the author. I feel there as much merit and completeness in this book as in the PMBOK (sorry, please don't kick me out of the PMI).I valued the part about preparing for a system design interview so much. I need help practicing because I have panicked and my mind goes blank. It's like I could mess up writing my name because of anxiety. It would make my dreams come true if the author interviewed me and told me where to focus to reach my goals.In conclusion: Buy this book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Matt M Nov 01, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Josh is a proven and accomplished TPM, one of the originals really. His content reflects his experience-- and anyone practicing the craft and looking to improve will have something to take away from this book. There's a good balance of technical and program management and he does a great job creating the manual for a role that is hard to contain in a box. Don't pursue a career in TPM without this book!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
ChippyMom Oct 15, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I have been a technical program manager for many years, however this book still gave me many new tips and tricks. The book is very well laid out, and is written in such a way that the reader can choose to read from beginning to end, or select particular chapters that they want more information on.I especially like the case study and examples Josh uses throughout the book- it makes the concepts much more accessible.I have recommended this book to more junior TPMs, as well as people who are “TPM Curious “.I loved the first edition, and the second edition is even better with its very relevant new chapters on AI and EQ.Highly recommend!!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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