Complex decision making - Judgment calls with incomplete information
Team leadership & motivation - Inspiring and energizing people
Business judgment - Knowing what matters beyond the data
Reading the room - Body language, tone, subtext
Building trust & relationships - Human connection and credibility
Negotiation - Finding win-win solutions in real-time
Vision casting - Painting compelling pictures of the future
AI-ASSISTED SKILLS (Use AI Here)
Let AI handle these so you can focus on the above:
• Data analysis & SQL queries - AI can write queries and analyze patterns
• PRD writing (first drafts) - AI excels at structured documentation
• Market research - Gathering and synthesizing information
• Competitive analysis - Tracking and summarizing competitor moves
• User story creation - Converting requirements into stories
• Meeting notes - Capturing and organizing discussions
• Email drafting - First drafts of communications
• Presentation formatting - Making slides look professional
• Research synthesis - Summarizing findings
• Basic prioritization - Initial RICE/ICE scoring
⚡ The Key Insight: AI won't take your job. Someone using AI better than you will. Focus on being excellent at AI-proof skills while leveraging AI for everything else.
SKILL PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
MUST-HAVE SKILLS (Focus First)
Core PM competencies - Master these before moving on
Rank
Skill
Why It Matters
1
User research & empathy
Core PM competency - understanding customers is foundational
2
Prioritization frameworks
Essential for making tradeoff decisions
3
Stakeholder communication
Required to influence and align teams
4
Product strategy
Foundation of the PM role
5
Data analysis
Make informed decisions, not guesses
6
Roadmap planning
Communicate direction and priorities
7
User story writing
Bridge between product and engineering
8
Decision making
Core PM responsibility
9
Business acumen
Understand business impact of decisions
10
Cross-functional collaboration
Get things done through others
SKILLS BY PM LEVEL
ASSOCIATE/JUNIOR PM (0-2 years)
Focus Areas
User story writing
Backlog management
Data analysis basics
Sprint planning
Stakeholder communication
User research fundamentals
Tool proficiency
Meeting facilitation
Documentation
MID-LEVEL PM (2-5 years)
Focus Areas
Strategic roadmapping
Cross-functional leadership
Advanced prioritization
Competitive strategy
Financial modeling
Executive communication
Team mentorship
A/B testing & experimentation
Product vision development
SENIOR PM (5-8 years)
Focus Areas
Business strategy
Org-level influence
Team building
Multi-product coordination
P&L ownership
Market positioning
Thought leadership
Complex stakeholder management
Long-term vision
PRINCIPAL/STAFF PM (8+ years)
Focus Areas
Company strategy
Product portfolio management
Executive partnership
Org transformation
Industry expertise
M&A evaluation
Platform thinking
Talent development
Innovation frameworks
90-DAY SKILL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Your Roadmap to PM Excellence
MONTH 1: FOUNDATION
Week 1-2: User Research
Conduct 10 customer interviews
Learn Jobs-to-be-Done framework
Practice active listening
Week 3-4: Data Analysis
Learn SQL basics (online course)
Set up analytics dashboards
Run first A/B test
MONTH 2: EXECUTION
Week 5-6: Prioritization
Master RICE framework
Create product roadmap
Practice saying "no" to features
Week 7-8: Communication
Improve presentation skills
Write clearer PRDs
Practice executive updates
MONTH 3: STRATEGY
Week 9-10: Business Acumen
Learn unit economics
Build financial model
Understand P&L
Week 11-12: Technical Skills
Learn system architecture basics
Understand API concepts
Explore AI/ML tools
KEY TAKEAWAYS & ACTION PLAN
The 3 Core PM Superpowers
Understanding customers better than anyone
Making decisions with incomplete information
Influencing without authority across teams
Your Action Plan
This Week:
Rate yourself on the Must-Have skills (1-5)
Identify your top 3 skill gaps
Choose 1 skill to focus on for next 30 days
Find 1 resource to learn that skill
Schedule time to practice daily
This Month:
Complete 1 course or read 1 book
Apply new skill to current project
Get feedback from manager/peer
Teach skill to someone else
Reassess and pick next skill
This Quarter:
Master 3 Must-Have skills
Develop 2 Should-Have skills
Experiment with 1 Nice-to-Have skill
Document your growth
Update your resume/LinkedIn
Remember: You don't need to master everything. Focus on being excellent in a few areas and competent in the rest. Your unique combination of skills is what makes you valuable.
The best PMs are perpetual learners who stay curious, seek feedback, and continuously evolve.