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, Career Paths, examines the career paths available for a TPM using interviews and job data from across the ‘Big 5’ tech companies.
Chapter 4, An Introduction to Program Management Using a Case Study, 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 5, Driving Toward Clarity, elaborates on the recurring trait that defines everything a TPM does: being clarity-driven.
Chapter 6, Plan Management, dives deeper into the plan management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 7, Risk Management, explores the risk management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 8, Stakeholder Management, discusses the stakeholder management best practices and goes over scenarios that are common in the tech industry.
Chapter 9, Managing a Program, explains the differences between managing a program and a project and how program management builds on top of project management.
Chapter 10, Emotional Intelligence in Technical Program Management, discusses the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in the TPM profession, along with how do determine your EQ and foster its growth.
Chapter 11, The Technical Toolset, is all about the three fundamental tools in a TPM’s technical toolset: programming fundamentals, system design, and architectural design.
Chapter 12, Code Development Expectations, is an outline of the programming fundamentals that a TPM is expected to understand and draw upon.
Chapter 13, System Design and Architectural Landscape, clarifies the system and architectural design patterns and principles that are useful to a TPM.
Chapter 14, Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Technical Program Management, dives into the technical foundations of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and how to utilize GenAI tools throughout your day-to-day role.
Chapter 15, 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.
