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The Technical Program Manager's Guide: Navigating the Path to Success
Welcome to the Third Edition of the Technical Program Manager’s Guide to Success.
When I wrote the first edition, my intent was to provide a practical guide for anyone curious about what it means to be a Technical Program Manager. The response from readers was humbling and inspiring—many shared how the book helped them prepare for interviews, navigate their first TPM role, and build confidence in a path that was, at the time, still being defined.
The second edition built on that foundation with deeper detail, real-world practices, and topics requested by readers. It wove in lessons I had gathered while leading programs across industries and geographies.
This third edition reflects how much the landscape has changed again. The TPM role today is not only about frameworks and execution—it is about connecting people, translating vision into reality, simplifying complexity, and often being the calm center in the midst of organizational chaos. True success comes not from process alone, but from adaptability, empathy, and the ability to lead with both head and heart.
What sets this edition apart is its breadth and balance. It blends practical tools—from program execution frameworks to stakeholder strategies—with human stories drawn from my own the missteps, the breakthroughs, and the lessons that shaped my career. You’ll find guidance on scaling programs, preparing for interviews, setting career goals, and navigating advanced domains like AI and cloud.
This book is written for every stage of your TPM journey:
Developers or engineers transitioning into program management.Program or product managers stepping into the technical side.Experienced TPMs aiming to sharpen their craft and influence strategy.Read this book not just as a reference, but as a companion. Highlight it, revisit chapters when challenges arise, and adapt its ideas to your own context. My hope is that it will empower you to not only manage programs, but also to shape outcomes, build trust, and create lasting impact.
Technical Program Management is more than a role—it is a craft. And like any craft, it grows with reflection, practice, and a commitment to excellence. This edition is my way of walking alongside you as you learn, grow, and lead.
When I wrote the first edition, my intent was to provide a practical guide for anyone curious about what it means to be a Technical Program Manager. The response from readers was humbling and inspiring—many shared how the book helped them prepare for interviews, navigate their first TPM role, and build confidence in a path that was, at the time, still being defined.
The second edition built on that foundation with deeper detail, real-world practices, and topics requested by readers. It wove in lessons I had gathered while leading programs across industries and geographies.
This third edition reflects how much the landscape has changed again. The TPM role today is not only about frameworks and execution—it is about connecting people, translating vision into reality, simplifying complexity, and often being the calm center in the midst of organizational chaos. True success comes not from process alone, but from adaptability, empathy, and the ability to lead with both head and heart.
What sets this edition apart is its breadth and balance. It blends practical tools—from program execution frameworks to stakeholder strategies—with human stories drawn from my own the missteps, the breakthroughs, and the lessons that shaped my career. You’ll find guidance on scaling programs, preparing for interviews, setting career goals, and navigating advanced domains like AI and cloud.
This book is written for every stage of your TPM journey:
Developers or engineers transitioning into program management.Program or product managers stepping into the technical side.Experienced TPMs aiming to sharpen their craft and influence strategy.Read this book not just as a reference, but as a companion. Highlight it, revisit chapters when challenges arise, and adapt its ideas to your own context. My hope is that it will empower you to not only manage programs, but also to shape outcomes, build trust, and create lasting impact.
Technical Program Management is more than a role—it is a craft. And like any craft, it grows with reflection, practice, and a commitment to excellence. This edition is my way of walking alongside you as you learn, grow, and lead.
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Published September 6, 2025
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About the author
Arpit Agrawal
16 books70 followersAs a fictional character in books, Arpit is not a tall-dark-handsome, he lives a simple life, crosses the road checking both the sides, orders Mix-Veg and asks for complementary salad in restaurants, asks people for the address in spite of having a smart-phone.
Born in a small town of Orissa (19th April,1989) and brought up in another small town near Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Arpit has spent one-third of his life living a mediocre life. (which he still continues...)
Sent by his parents, in his four years of exile (also called ‘Engineering’), he studied Mechanical related stuff in a classroom deficient in ‘XX’ chromosomes but ended up working in an IT firm in Pune.
Like Peter Parker turned Spider-Man out of the blue, Arpit also became a writer all of a sudden after a writer-bug bite him when he was sleeping on the last bench of his class.
By the third year of Engineering, he had never read even a single book out of his curriculum, but then 'Chetan Bhagat' and 'Shidney Sheldon' entered his life and he realized he has to go very far in fiction.
After cultivating his ideas for a few hundred days, Arpit wrote his debut novel ‘Dear life, Get well soon. And then his second book - 'Take my heart, forever...'
Born in a small town of Orissa (19th April,1989) and brought up in another small town near Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Arpit has spent one-third of his life living a mediocre life. (which he still continues...)
Sent by his parents, in his four years of exile (also called ‘Engineering’), he studied Mechanical related stuff in a classroom deficient in ‘XX’ chromosomes but ended up working in an IT firm in Pune.
Like Peter Parker turned Spider-Man out of the blue, Arpit also became a writer all of a sudden after a writer-bug bite him when he was sleeping on the last bench of his class.
By the third year of Engineering, he had never read even a single book out of his curriculum, but then 'Chetan Bhagat' and 'Shidney Sheldon' entered his life and he realized he has to go very far in fiction.
After cultivating his ideas for a few hundred days, Arpit wrote his debut novel ‘Dear life, Get well soon. And then his second book - 'Take my heart, forever...'
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 28, 2025
A great intro guide to technical program managing. I like how the book was structured, that it included strategies to being a good TPM, the approaches and tools to read up on, certs to research, how to tailor your resume, interview prep questions, and more. The book was definitely more tech/SW code tailored than hardware so some chapters I ended up skipping. But overall a great reference guide on how TPMs work!
Displaying 1 of 1 review