HTE409
The Art and Science of Product Management
Faculty
Kevin Madill
Investment Director at MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
Product management is an organisational function within a company dealing with new product development, business justification, planning, verification, forecasting, pricing, product launch, and marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle. This hands-on course provides an overview of the key skills required to be a successful product manager, with a focus on the tools, frameworks, and processes used at early stage technology companies.
Learning highlights
- Acquire an overall understanding of the concepts involved in product management
- Learn the best practices and frameworks used to ensure products are successfully built
- Learn how to validate an idea using market research and customer interviews
- Learn how to work with others to turn an idea into a market-ready product
- Learn how to align product strategy with a company’s mission, vision, core values, and goals
- Learn how to continue applying product management principles after a product’s launch to ensure its ongoing success
Course outline
15 classes
Session1
Introduction to Course: What is Product Management?
Session 2
Product Development Process: adoption and lifecycle curves, lean, competitors, greater context
Session 3
Ideas, Customer Development, and Customer Validation: frameworks, interviews, personas
Session 4
MVPs: hypotheses, experiments
Session 5
Design for Product Managers: wireframes, prototypes
Session 6
Working with engineering: PRDs, user stories, sprints, agile, waterfall, t-shirts, velocity, burndowns
Session 7
Product Launch (4B): 4Ps, Launch Plans, Unit Economics
Session 8
Metrics and Data: pirates, hearts, cohort analysis
Session 9
1 on 1 sessions
Session 10
1 on 1 sessions
Session 11
Beyond the Launch: Product and Technology Roadmaps, Continued Prioritization, Saying No, Effective Relationships
Session 12
Technology for Product Managers 1
Session 13
Technology for Product Managers 2
Session 14
Project Presentations
Session 15
Project Presentations
Prerequisites
The final project and most assignments will be based on product ideas from students in the class. As a pre-requisite, students must have a product idea that they should be able to articulate in a 30-second “elevator pitch”. It is also possible to join another team for those who do not have an existing idea. Please email the instructor if you need help or clarification on this.
Methodology
We will use a combination of lectures, in class discussion, one-on-one coaching, and assignments that lead to a final project presentation. Students’ own existing product/business ideas will form the basis of assignments and the final project presentation.
Grading
As a co-founder of Miovision, Kevin helped lead the company from three people in a basement with an improbable idea to a global market leader in smart city solutions. Today Miovision’s technology is used by more than 17,000 cities around the world, employs over 200 people, and has raised over $150M in growth financing. During his 10 years at Miovision, Kevin’s main responsibility was as Chief Product Officer, where he oversaw all aspects of product management, including strategy, pricing, roadmaps, market fit, and more . He also wore a variety of additional hats, opening the European sales office in Germany, building/scaling culture and, at times, leading the engineering, marketing, and sales teams.
In addition to his time at Miovision, Kevin spent three years working with startups in Europe, both as a full-time mentor to the portfolio companies at a well-known accelerator, Rockstart, and as CPO/CTO for a P2P car sharing scaleup, SnappCar. Currently, Kevin is an Investment Director for a venture capital seed fund at MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund and a Startup / Scaleup Advisor for Invest Ottawa and L-SPARK Accelerator.
See full profileApply for this course
The Art and Science of Product Management
by Kevin Madill
Total hours
45 Hours
Dates
Apr 11 - Apr 29, 2022
Fee for single course
€1500
Fee for degree students
€750
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
FAQ
Will I receive a certificate after completion?
Yes. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate signed by the director of the program your course belonged to.
Do I need a visa?
This depends on your case. Please check with the Spanish or Thai consulate in your country of residence about visa requirements. We will do our part to provide you with the necessary documents, such as the Certificate of Enrollment.
Can I get a discount?
Yes. The easiest way to enroll in a course at a discounted price is to register for multiple courses. Registering for multiple courses will reduce the cost per individual course. Please ask the Admissions Office for more information about the other kinds of discounts we offer and what you can do to receive one.