Starting as a PM on a new product is exciting and naturally a bit disorienting.
Loads of new people to meet, new customers/users and whole load of new context.
Everyone already knows what you don't know, and you don't know what you don't know (yet).
But that's ok.
You might get the itch to start fixing or shipping stuff right away. But what good does that do if you don't optimise for it?
So let me share with you some tips which helped me get up to speed (and ship stuff) faster.
Fact-finding mission
Spend your first few weeks in deep fact-finding mode. Keep opinions light and curiosity high. Watch, listen, and take notes (mental or AI up to you).
Checklist
- Read docs, dashboards, roadmaps, and anything you can get your hands on.
- Sit in on customer calls and internal meetings. Observe.
- Ask "why" and "what were we solving?" more than seeking "who's to blame?".
- Understand any tradeoffs that were made and why
- Notice how people talk about the product. Tone tells you a lot.
- Hold back on making decisions until you've joined the dots.
Understand the product
Get under the bonnet. You don't need to be technical, but you do need to know how the product actually works.
Checklist
- Ask engineers for a walkthrough of the architecture and key flows. Any key decisions, technical restrictions?
- Trace end-to-end user journey.
- Learn the key KPIs and why they matter for your stage (early vs. mature).
- Review historical data; what's moved, what's stalled.
Understand the people
Products are built and run by people. Build relationships early and find out who does what. Shoot your shot and book that intro. It's definitely not pointless.
Checklist
- Meet your team: outgoing PM (if there is one) engineers, designers, etc.
- Talk to customers or customer success teams. Understand the end user. This is non-negotiable. What makes them tick. What holds them down.
- What does success look like for key stakeholders.
Set your principles early
Even if you can't define strategy yet, you can define how you work.
Checklist
- Share what you value ie speed, clarity, collaboration, data, etc.
- Be open about how you make decisions.
- Create predictability: show your working style early.
Validate your understanding
Check you've got things right before moving forward.
Checklist
- Summarise what you've learned and share it back for feedback.
- Ask the silly questions.
- Ask "what have I missed?"
- Use feedback to refine your mental model.
Final thought
Your first month isn't about proving impact, it's about gaining insight and trust so that you can deliver impact.
Observe, listen, and learn how the product works. Once you understand that, you'll know exactly where to start making a difference.