Technical Program Manager’s Handbook
Empowering managers to efficiently manage technical projects and build a successful career path
Joshua Alan Teter
BIRMINGHAM—MUMBAI
Technical Program Manager’s Handbook
Copyright © 2022 Packt Publishing
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First published: December 2022
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Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.
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ISBN 978-1-80461-355-9
Foreword
For the past 8 years, I have had the absolute pleasure to count Josh Teter among my most valued and respected friends and colleagues. Josh is a leader not only in terms of the work of being a Technical Program Manager (TPM) but also, more importantly, he is a champion and thought leader for what it means to be a TPM. He shaped my understanding of what a TPM is and does, and what it means to do this job well. In this book, The Technical Program Manager’s Handbook, Josh will share his unique and valuable experience and philosophy on the special and crucial role of a TPM in today’s technical industries. His journey through this industry has given him a rare perspective on the needs of technical companies and how TPMs enable successful programs by providing a critical bridge between the many other roles and disciplines in the field. In our shared years at Amazon, I have been impressed by Josh’s growth in and mastery of this unique and challenging role.
In this book, he sheds light on a role that is still in the process of defining itself. He shares the ways in which it shares skills with adjacent roles and illustrates the unique skills and functions of the TPM role. Most importantly, he teaches fundamental skills for doing the job well and avoiding classic pitfalls.
In reading The Technical Program Manager’s Handbook, you will learn about the fundamentals, techniques, and best practices for driving clarity and planning, understanding, and communicating the status, progress, and challenges in technical projects and programs. You’ll understand how to apply this to the programs and products you will manage in your own role, and how to make a positive impact on the teams you work with. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of the balance and depth of a TPM’s technical role as well as their role as leader and driver.
You will see how a master TPM guides major projects and enterprise-scale programs toward success while optimizing the skills and responsibilities of everyone they work with.
As you read through this book, Josh walks you through his years of hard-won experience as a world-class principal TPM. As a natural teacher, he has created a path that is engaging and informative for you to explore. In his examples and anecdotes, you’ll see the reality of theory versus practice, and understand the purpose behind everything a TPM does. By the end, you’ll be ready to continue your development as you apply what you’ve learned to this ever-changing field.
Take this along with you and join the ranks of the TPMs making a big impact throughout the technical fields.
Ben Tobin
Career and Leadership Coach, Ben Tobin Coaching Former Software Development Manager, Amazon
Contributors
About the author
Joshua Alan Teter is a principal technical program manager at Amazon. He has been in the tech industry since 2007, starting out as a software developer at Weatherford Laboratories. His passion for program management started at Hewlett Packard in 2012 where he joined as a technical lead and oversaw a team of developers. In 2013, Joshua moved to Amazon to join the Tax Services group and helped the team grow from 35 to 280 people. In the years since joining, he has received his Project Management Professional certification and run projects to help open new Amazon marketplaces, launch new products and services, and most of all, lead innovation in terms of tax compliance with high-profile legislation, such as acting as a marketplace facilitator in the United States and in line with Brexit, along with related legislation on EU imports.
I want to thank my wife for being with me on this journey and as a soundboard for the ideas that went into this book. I also want to thank Ben and Sandra for their insight and guidance – this book would literally not be the same without their input. And to the team at Packt for their help and support throughout the process.
About the reviewers
Sandra Boudreau retired from Amazon after 1 year as an SDM and 5 years as a TPM following her 15-year career as a software developer, mostly in the military defense industry. Her career highlights included launching Amazon’s tax calculation solution in Brazil and launching Amazon Prime membership in India, as well as developing solutions for the Canadian military as a lead software developer on the trials and demonstrations team at General Dynamics Canada. She is now living in her dream house on the shore of a lake in Alberta, Canada and just starting to put a dent in her Steam backlog.
Ben Tobin spent 20 years in the software industry wearing many hats, most recently as a software development manager at Amazon. His path through the tech industry included working as the director of a small tech company and then dipping into the world of a DevOps engineer before returning to software engineering again and discovering management. In the process, he has interviewed hundreds of candidates and considers developing good engineers into great ones among his greatest accomplishments. He is now a career coach specializing in tech industry careers, engineers, career transition, and ADHD as the founder of Ben Tobin Coaching.
Angel Martinez has experience managing projects across 4 industries over 12 years. He is currently a manager and TPM at Google, focusing on data center networking deployments. He received his BS in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Angel began his career as an associate in a leadership development program working on consumer products. He then transitioned into the transportation and product-building industries. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and, with any remaining time, playing indie board games and doing woodworking.
Nirbhay Anand has worked in the role of TPM and completed a master’s in computer science and an MBA, with 16 years of industry experience in software product development. He has developed software in different domains, such as investment banking, manufacturing, supply chain, power forecasting, and railroad contract management. Currently, he is associated with CloudMoyo, a leading cloud and analytics partner for Microsoft. CloudMoyo brings together powerful BI capabilities using the Azure data platform to transform complex data into business insights.