How should an effective PM portfolio look?

I began as a designer and am currently attempting to switch to project management. So, I wondered what examples of strong PM portfolios would be. Do you have any role models that you admire? Do PMs even have portfolios? Thank you for any assistance.

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Although I don’t often hear the word “Portfolio,” it’s a good idea to adopt it. Consider how to accomplish this in a setting of storytelling.

  1. Typically, your capacity for problem-solving is assessed (case studies or bite-sized examples of metric improvement).

  2. “Can you lead people?” comes next. (References, speaking and presentation abilities, and network quality).

  3. Although it sounds clear, several PMs, like myself, have spent too much time getting lost in the details of data rather than focusing on UI/UX. (Silicon Valley, I’m looking at YOU.)

My best recommendation is to create a strong collection of stories. Display the dispute, options, risks, choice, justification, and outcomes. Do it if you can visualize each on one or two screens.

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@NaomiNwosu, Might be hard to understand without context. I’ve just DM’ed you a brief of my project. Would like your comments and opinion on this, if you you could please take some time to review it. Thank you so much for your input!

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No Problem!

Consider how you’re utilizing the roofline analyses, for example.

If, for instance - keep it brief. For each point you make, strive to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.

I truly appreciate the way you described the issues that arose mid-stream. excellent storytelling

Other than a comment on the amount of time saved, I might not have noticed the project’s outcomes. Maybe something to do with finishing the project? Within budget? In time? Rates of error? …

Actually, it’s a fantastic start.

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I can’t even begin to express how much I value your counsel! This was my final design project as an independent consultant, and it was created for a face-to-face presentation. I just wanted to try to rewrite this from the perspective of a PM. I regrettably did not do much project management, but based on your advise, it appears that I can contribute to other areas of project management.

Thanks:)

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One word of warning regarding Project Management - don’t get sucked into it just because you’re good at it. Product Managers lead the team in what needs to get done. Project Managers do the same for the how.

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Ahh that makes a lot of sense. The way I’ve understood it so far, it seems like Project management is a small part of product management. And from where I stand, I’d say it’s also my least favorite part.

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Why product managers don’t use “portfolios” the way designers do:

  • Your portfolio serves as a good indicator of what you can produce as a designer.

  • As a PM, you collaborate with the team to construct, rather than actively generating a product. Examples of what you have built, their impact, why you built them, the difficulties you faced, and the trade-offs you made are the best substitutes.

  • Although your resume can land you a job, how well you do in the interview—including how you respond to questions on how you would improve the company’s products—determines whether you get the job.

Given your enthusiasm in making the switch to PM, I’d suggest an internal transfer to a position where you’ve established credibility.

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I’ve never used a “Portfolio” in an interview. But I would suggest a good record of case studies for products and the key challenges, learnings and achievements.

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PMs do not use portfolios in the same way that designers do. The reaction is “that’s wonderful” if an applicant provides a portfolio along with an application. It wouldn’t affect whether or not an interview was granted.

But it’s a good idea to practice PM abilities by working on portfolio projects. The information you acquired from interviews can then be discussed.

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@RisaButler, I understand. What would you say that the elements of a strong project are though? What are 3 things you’d look for?

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@JuanAllo, in any case, I’d be on the lookout for good product craft. Knowing your target audience, coming up with a solution to their issue, and demonstrating your plan of action.

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This question can be answered correctly depending on the person’s domain expertise. Feasibility, scalability, maintainability. And what value does it bring to the bottom line (customer attrition, increased revenue, reduce costs, etc.)

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Based on the PM portfolios I have seen someone collected in PM Portfolio List, there is no best example. I would say that good portfolio should continue and illustrate your PM story.

You can tell how you came up to the solution, what stack did you chose and why. What your approach allows to get. Arguments and logic would be most interesting and important on the interview.

In your case you can do an impressive design and photos, and not bother with tech side. Or vice versa, if you want to tell the story about how tech person you are, chose some fancy Next.js builder.

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