The Book on Software Product Management for Startups

Startup – the term sparkles and is associated with adventure, freedom, innovation, entrepreneurship, and also big money in case of success. It is a subject of fascination for both the entrepreneurs as well as other readers of business literature alike. Product Management is critical for the success of a startup, but often goes under the radar while other aspects of entrepreneurship take the spotlight. The purpose of this book is to serve as a study guide and handbook for practitioners in startups, i.e. newly formed companies, and also corporate ventures, i.e. new product development units that work in a startup mode in established companies. The book accompanies the training course “SPM for Startups” of ISPMA® and can be used as textbook for ISPMA-based education and certification. It also enables a critical appreciation of the art and science of software product management in the context of startups for readers in academia and the industries.

Authors

  • Hans-Bernd Kittlaus is the founder and CEO of InnoTivum Consulting (www.innotivum.com) and works as consultant and trainer for software organizations, in particular in the areas of software product management and organizational aspects of software organizations. He has published numerous articles and books, in particular “Software Product Management – The ISPMA-Compliant Handbook and Study Guide, 2nd Edition”, Springer, 2022. He is a founding board member and the current chairman of ISPMA.
  • Haragopal Mangipudi (aka Hara) is the founder of guNaka® LLC (https://gunaka.org) established in the USA and India. Hara is passionate about building products with purpose and has been developing product management community both as a Fellow of the global not-for-profit body ISPMA® and as an adjunct professor at some of the top business and technology schools like IIMs and IITs. Hara is a board member of the ISPMA® e.V. and the chairman of their North America chapter.

What expert readers say

“Today, software is an integral part of the business of most start-ups. The ability to adopt a software product management perspective in this important part of their business is thus key to the success of many entrepreneurs. This comprehensive book by Haragopal and Hans-Bernd, both of whom have significant product management expertise and experience, is a great guide to the science and craft of software product management for start-ups.” — Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director & Professor of Strategy, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India

“As co-founder, practitioner as well as researcher in the product management discipline, I find this book invaluable with its fundamental insights and practical tools – this book is an ideal choice for readers seeking a strong foundation to embark as well as succeed in their startup journey.” — Frédéric Pattyn, Co-Founder & Principal Product Manager @ NOWJOBS & PhD Student, Belgium

“Across industries, most startups today are trying to create innovative software-intensive products. This is finally the book that guides practitioners how to manage such a product in a startup environment. It is based on ISPMA’s pioneering SPM best-practice approach, and written by two of ISPMA’s thought leaders. A must-read for every budding entrepreneur and software product manager!” — Prof. S. Sadagopan, Founder and first Director, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore, India

Purchase physical book or ebook

Hans-Bernd Kittlaus

CEO at InnoTivum Consulting

Cologne-Bonn region, Germany