Preface
The role of a Technical Program Manager (TPM) has been around inside and outside of the tech industry for quite a while; yet somehow there is still quite a sense of mystery around what the role is and why it is beneficial, let alone how someone can succeed in being a TPM. This book looks to correct that by diving into what it means to be a TPM, where the role came from, and where it is headed. You’ll get a look into how the TPM works and develops their career in the Big 5 – Amazon, Apple, Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook), and Microsoft.
I’ve been at Amazon for a little over 9 years now and I remember that when I first interviewed, I had a hard time remembering what TPM even stood for, let alone what they did. In my onsite interviews, I asked what the job role was and what the day-to-day was like. 9 years later and I’m asked those same questions by interviewees at least once a week. I attend conferences discussing what it means to be a TPM and have written papers on what it means to be a TPM within my own organization because as you’ll see in this book, it depends on where you are as to what the role entails. However, no matter what, there are foundational principles that are followed across the industry that will set you on the right path and help you when you get stuck in a rut without a way forward.
Let’s get you ready to be a successful TPM!
Who this book is for
This book is meant for TPMs at every stage of their career, including those that are considering transitioning into the role. To get the most out of this book, there is an expectation that the reader will have some basic knowledge of project management. I tend to lean into the Project Management Professional (PMP) lingo and style but the book does not follow a specific methodology, as I don’t believe a single methodology can be adequately applied to this role!
The book will cover some basic programming topics, although very little code is used except for illustrative purposes in Chapter 11, Code Development Expectations. Most concepts are explored using figures and text, as that fits the audience of the book the best.
To read the book, there’s no expectation of a specific technical proficiency, although as you will discover in Part 3 of the book, there is an expectation that you’ll have that if you want to be a TPM. This book will guide you through the technical skills that are prerequisites for most TPMs.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Fundamentals of a Technical Program Manager, is an introduction to what a TPM is and where the role originated.
Chapter 2, Pillars of a Technical Program Manager, sets out the three pillars of a TPM: project management, program management, and the technical toolset.
Chapter 3, Introduction to Program Management, covers the key management areas that will be covered throughout the book: plan management, risk management, and stakeholder management. It also introduces a case study that will be used for all examples throughout the book.
Chapter 4, Driving Toward Clarity, elaborates on the recurring trait that defines everything a TPM does: being clarity-driven.
Chapter 5, Plan Management, dives deeper into the plan management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 6, Risk Management, explores the risk management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 7, Stakeholder Management, discusses the stakeholder management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 8, Managing a Program, explains the differences between managing a program and a project and how program management builds on top of project management.
Chapter 9, Career Paths, examines the career paths available for a TPM using interviews and job data from across the Big 5 tech companies.
Chapter 10, The Technical Toolset, is all about the three fundamental tools in a TPM’s technical toolset: programming fundamentals, system design, and architectural design.
Chapter 11, Code Development Expectations, is an outline of the programming fundamentals that a TPM is expected to understand and draw upon.
Chapter 12, System Design and Architectural Landscape, clarifies the system and architectural design patterns and principles that are useful to a TPM.
Chapter 13, Enhancing Management Using Your Technical Toolset, covers the technical toolset and dives deeper into how and where in a TPM’s day-to-day work it can be used to enhance their career.
Download the color images
We also provide a PDF file that has color images of the screenshots and diagrams used in this book. You can download it here: https://packt.link/ytFtY.
Conventions used
There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.
Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “This method has two parameters, a string named message and an object of the MemberInfo type called miTo.”
A block of code is set as follows:
html, body, #map {
height: 100%;
margin: 0;
padding: 0
}When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:
MessageType = MessageInformation.MessageTypes.Text, To = miTo.ComputerName, Text = message }); }
Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Select System info from the Administration panel.”
Tips or important notes
Appear like this.
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