Optimal Product Management

Understand the complete Product Lifecycle and learn all the core skills required to build and manage products that matter. In this course, you'll learn all the core skills needed to become a Certified Product Manager™ or Certified Product Marketing Manager™.
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Participate in small groups online, led by an expert instructor for a total of 24 hours of instruction, exercises, and team collaboration.

For All PM Levels

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You’re in good company

Learn all the core skills in the Product Lifecycle and become Product Management Certified.

Study for your Product Management certification with confidence..

  • Understand the Product Lifecycle

    Every product has a lifecycle — from the first idea, through proving its business case, building it, launching it, ensuring its success in the marketplace to replacing or upgrading it. You’ll learn 280 Group’s Optimal Product Process™, which embodies all of the best practices needed to maximize the success of your product every step of the way.

  • Learn Core Skills & Techniques

    You’ll learn about every important task in each phase of the Product Lifecycle and all the core skills required for effective product management.

  • Become Confident in Your Role

    You’ll use critical templates and prepare deliverables that map to the framework through the use of exercises in the class. You will leverage relevant examples that demonstrate how the process applies to real-world situations.

  • Get Product Manager Certified

    Prove your mastery and advance your career by earning a worldwide-standard Product Management certification.

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Learn It Your Way

Advance your career through the training method that best matches your learning style.

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Live Online

Learn with other students from an expert instructor, all from the convenience of your home or office.

  • Our instructors can answer your questions and address your specific needs in our small class virtual environment
  • Learn from each other with team exercises and in-class dialogue
  • Work on a team project to connect techniques and get the big picture
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Self-Study

Study at your own pace with our online learning system. Get started anywhere at any time, and complete when you’re ready.

  • Choose the self-study course you need based on the certification you want to pursue
  • Unlimited practice exam attempts so you can test your knowledge and prepare with confidence for your certification exam
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In-Person

Three-day in-person training allows you to learn from an expert instructor and discuss concepts and issues with other students.

  • Small classes ensure personal attention and an engaging class experience
  • Ability to learn from each other with team exercises and in-class dialogue
  • Enjoy deep learning led by experts in the field of Product Management
  • Reinforce concepts through practical application in team exercises
  • Full access to handouts and note-taking materials to create your own reference guide for use at work
Features
Custom Training

Transform your Product Management team by focusing on the specific needs and issues of your organization.

  • Your team learns the specific skills and concepts they need most
  • Address your current processes and most critical internal challenges
  • Learn best practices tailored to the needs of your market and your organization
  • Tailor exercises to use your products, so students apply new concepts to their current situation and tackle real problems
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Learn Now, Pay Later with

Make 6, 12, or 24 monthly payments. Rates from 0-30% APR. Learn more

What Our Students Say

4.8 337 Reviews
  • “Fantastic course, and fantastic instructors @ 280 Group. If you work in PM or PMM and often get lost in agile/scrum or waterfall discussion with development, loosing focus on the customers and the market need – this is the course for you. Get a holistic understanding of the whole product lifecycle, and how to be successful in each phase!”
    Frank Tommy Brotke
    Product Marketing Manager, LINK Mobility Group
  • “The syllabus is extremely well designed. It helps keep track of what you’ll learn but also what you’ve learned so far. All exercises were relevant to the course. Tom and Ken are FANTASTIC, massive congratulations to both. You can tell how much experience they have and how passionate they are about the PM role and teaching about it.”
    Juan Nader
    Senior VFX Applications Engineer, Vicon Motion Systems
  • “The collaboration efforts with other students and especially the instructors created a great foundation for the learnings. I work a lot with scrum teams and the roles between a PM and Project Manager tend to get very muddled. It was good to see where the lines are and how they are different roles that should have different approaches.”
    Hinna Scully
    Product Manager, Optum
  • “Fantastic course. Strengths are both in the practical experience and expertise of the instructor and interactive nature of the course. Having peers to discuss challenges was also fantastic.”
    Ruben Sun
    Senior Interaction Designer, Fjord
  • “After teaching, writing for, interviewing and interacting with thousands of Product Managers, I couldn’t agree more with Brian that successful ones have a set of key interpersonal skills. As a Product Manager, you can write great requirements and market analyses but unless you garner support from all the various stakeholders your work will at best be academic. The Phenomenal Product Manager helps you be more than just a sufficient PM, but an irreplaceable one.”
    Alyssa Dver

More Than Just Training

choose your learning style

No other company provides such a comprehensive learning solution to ensure student success. In addition to our memorable, hands-on course material, students have access to a complete self-study online learning system, study materials to further prepare for their preferred certification, AIPMM membership, and more.

  • Optimal Product Management: Live Online

    Participate in small groups online, led by an expert instructor for a total of 24 hours of instruction, exercises, and team collaboration.

    • Enjoy deep learning through small classes led by experts in the field
    • Learn together through class discussion and team exercises
    • Use the latest in digital collaboration tools
    • Printable reference materials and notes provide you with resources for the course – and to reference in the future
  • Certified Product Manager – Online Course and Exam, OR Certified Product Marketing Manager – Online Course and Exam

    One-year access to the Self-Study online course helps you review concepts whenever you like and provides all the resources needed to study for the certification exam. ($1495 value included free)

    • Choose which self-study companion course you want based on the certification you want to pursue
    • Use the online course to refresh your knowledge as needed for your current work situation
    • 18 learning modules provide comprehensive coverage
    • Quizzes, interactive exercises, and a study guide help you prepare and confirm your knowledge
    • Take the practice exam as many times as you like to test your knowledge and prepare with confidence for your certification exam
  • Product Management Lifecycle Toolkit™

    Built upon best practices and the Optimal Product Process™, this toolkit contains the most common documents that Product Management professionals need to deliver. This toolkit includes templates for all seven phases of the Optimal Product Process™. ($99 value included free)

    • A complete set of over 35 templates that are professional, comprehensive, and customizable
    • The perfect companion to Optimal Product Management (OPM), providing all of the key document templates needed for gate reviews and other tools to conduct market research, develop personas, build a marketing plan, and more
    • These templates ensure that your business cases, roadmaps, MRDs, PRDs, launch plans, and other deliverables have the same design and structure.
  • AIPMM Membership + Certification Exam

    Membership in the Association of International Product Marketing and Management (AIPMM) demonstrates your commitment to your career.

    • Includes two opportunities to take the Certified Product Manager or Certified Product Marketing Manager online exam
    • One year AIPMM Basic Membership (usually $125/year)
    • Eligible for all other AIPMM certification exams (at additional price)
    • Access to AIPMM resource library
    • Join the private AIPMM LinkedIn group to network with other PM professionals
    • Personal resume review and career advice
  • Digital Certificates – Course Completion

    Take pride in your accomplishments and share with others.

    • Share your course completion on your favorite social networks
    • Print your certificate to demonstrate your achievement
    • Include Certification badges on your LinkedIn profile

Why Companies Choose Private Custom Training for their Product Teams

We can tailor our Optimal Product Management course to meet your team’s unique needs with private custom training, delivered live online or in-person.

  • Level set team members with varying backgrounds and experience
  • Establish a consistent process and document set
  • Clarify roles and responsibilities
  • Get teams speaking the same language
  • Inject best practices for Product Management tuned to your company and market situation
  • Get executive buy-in and empower Product Management teams to become more outcome-driven
Let’s Work Together

Upcoming Courses

Courses Sell Out – Reserve Your Spot Today!

Registration closes at 5:00 PM PT the Thursday before the class start date.
Certified Product Manager
This self-study course helps you prepare to become a Certified Product Manager
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Certified Product Marketing Manager
This self-study course helps you prepare to become a Certified Product Marketing Manager
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Optimal Product Management
Jun 20th – Jun 24th
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Optimal Product Management
Jul 5th – Jul 14th
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Optimal Product Management
Jul 25th – Aug 3rd
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Optimal Product Management
Jul 26th – Jul 28th
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8:00AM – 5:00PM  Austin, TX
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Aug 9th – Aug 18th
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Aug 22nd – Aug 26th
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Sep 6th – Sep 15th
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Sep 26th – Oct 5th
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Optimal Product Management
Oct 11th – Oct 20th
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10:00AM – 2:30PM  
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We look forward to offering in-person training as soon as it is safe and practical to bring students and our great instructors together again.

We can tailor our courses to meet your product team’s unique needs with private custom training, delivered live online or in-person. Chat with one of our experts so you can learn to build products that matter.

Contact Us

What You Will Learn

In this course, you’ll learn about every important task and all the core skills required to manage products effectively. The course contains everything you need to get up to speed quickly, master the core Product Management skills, and get certified.

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Course Goals
  • Learn to effectively manage any product at any stage in the Product Lifecycle
  • Gain the core skills and learn the corresponding concepts to be a highly-effective Product Manager or Product Marketing Manager for the rest of your career
  • Obtain a deep understanding of how great companies do Product Management
  • Be fully prepared to pass the Certified Product Manager™ or Certified Product Marketing Manager™ exam
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Topics Overview
  • Optimal Product Process™ seven-phase framework covering the full Product Lifecycle
  • Product Management and Marketing core concepts including key skills, strategies, tactics, and terminology needed to manage any product at any phase of the Product Lifecycle
  • All information necessary to pass the Certified Product Manager™ or Certified Product Marketing Manager™ exam
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Review and Exam Preparation Materials
  • Course Materials provide a reference guide to best practices
  • Study Guide helps you remember key concepts and prepare for the certification exam
  • Online practice exam provides different sample questions every time you take it, and gives you a score so you can be confident you are ready for the exam

Course Curriculum

This course includes 10 modules that cover Product Management over the course of the full product life cycle.

Download Syllabus

Modules

  • Intro: the Optimal Product Process™
  • Becoming Strategic
  • Conceive
  • Market Research
  • Plan
  • Develop
  • Qualify/Beta
  • Launch
  • Maximize
  • End of Life

Key Topics & Tools

  • Strategy
  • Product-Market Fit
  • Voice of the Customer
  • Dimensions of Competitive Analysis
  • Forecasting Techniques
  • Approaches to Pricing
  • Market Strategy
  • Requirements
  • Roadmaps
  • Business Case
  • Launch Plan
  • Marketing Plan
  • EOL Plan

Get to Know Our Instructors

280 Group instructors are chosen for their experience and passion to teach – a hard combination to find. With both technical and business skills under their belt, they have worked at high levels in companies such as Apple, Amazon, and Intuit, and have driven successful exits at startups.

  • Close-up of Kenny Kranseler, who is a course instructor for 280 Group with over 25 years of experience.
    Kenny Kranseler
    Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Road (not mountain) cyclist
    25+ years
    Experience from
    • Amazon logo.
  • Ken Feehan. Instructor for 280 Group.
    Ken Feehan
    Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Beginner Python Programmer
    25+ years
    Experience from
  • Bill Haines - B2B Marketing Rules
    Bill Haines
    Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Droll skeptic devoted to Family, Formula 1 and Fine whiskey (not necessarily in that order)
    25+ years
    Experience from
  • Colleen Product Manager Skills
    Colleen O’Rourke
    Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Doctoral student, because there is just so much to learn in this world!
    20+ years
    Experience from
    • Autodesk logo.
  • Roger Snyder - VP of Marketing
    Roger Snyder
    Vice President of Marketing
    Backpacking & Hiking Junkie
    20+ years
    Experience from
  • Headshot of Tom Evans, instructor for 280 Group.
    Tom Evans
    Senior Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Lived & worked in Brazil & speak Portuguese
    25+ years
    Experience from
    • Optum logo.
  • Rick Bess
    Rick Bess
    Principal Consultant & Trainer
    Have a saltwater fishing boat named ‘Courage’
    30+ years
    Experience from
    • Adobe Logo

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? See what questions our prospective and current students ask most often, and find answers to your questions quickly.