Product Management Certification?

Marty Cagan argues that product management certification is premature and counterproductive for the software industry. He notes that the field is far from scientific, that software product success rates are poor, and that certification programs mostly teach product marketing or outdated consumer-goods methods rather than product discovery. Most importantly, he contends that certifying existing practices locks in bad habits when the industry needs experimentation and sharing of new approaches. He says he would only offer certification once the field has reliably figured out how to build great products, and advises hiring managers and product managers to rely on skill-based evaluation and learning from peers instead.

01Key takeaways

• Be skeptical of certifications that codify current product practices, since the field is still experimenting.
• Judge product manager candidates on demonstrated skills and fit, not on a credential.
• Match product management methods to your product context rather than forcing a single model.
• Focus on product discovery, not just product marketing, when building software products.
• Learn from peers at leading companies and from respected practitioner writing instead of certification programs.
• Actively try new techniques and share the results to help the industry improve.

02Key sections

Why certification is premature

Cagan says product management is not yet the proven science people hope for, and that software success rates remain dismal. Certifying current methods would endorse tools that have long underperformed.

Internet product management is different

Consumer packaged goods and custom software differ greatly from commercial internet products, so tools from one domain often don't transfer. Existing certifications tend to miss these distinctions.

No single model fits all

There is no one product management model suited to every software company, so a certification pushing one approach forces square pegs into round holes.

Marketing instead of discovery

Most certifications teach product marketing rather than the product discovery that tech companies actually need, which frustrates companies hiring for that role.

Institutionalizing bad practice

The core concern is that teaching and certifying obsolete techniques entrenches them, whereas the industry should reward experimentation and sharing results.

03From the post

“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.