› 12 weeks

› Part-time

Product
Management:
Elevate
Academy Xi: What is Product
Our story Management?
Hello and welcome to Academy Xi! The organisational function responsible
for a product’s overall success is known as
Our mission is to transform the world Product Management.
through education by empowering a
community of changemakers with the Product Managers are at the junction of
knowledge and skills to create their own all individuals, teams and stakeholders
positive waves of innovation. involved in the lifecycle of the product.
Some of the teams they work closely with
Academy Xi is our answer to the insatiable include engineering, user experience,
demand for design and technology marketing and customer service. Every
capabilities across all industries. We run stage from ideation to delivery is driven by
short, practical and industry relevant the Product Manager, always keeping the
courses in Human-Centred Design, customer needs front and centre.
Business & Marketing, and Tech & Data.
Whether improving an existing product,
Designed and taught by passionate or bringing new ideas to life, the Product
industry experts, our courses empower Manager role is extremely collaborative.
people with the skills and confidence to
stay ahead of the industry curve, build a A vital component of any organisation’s
future-ready career and transform their success, Product Managers need to
lives. be great communicators with strong
leadership qualities to excel.

A Product Manager will:

• Understand what customers truly need

by conducting market research and
analysis, and champion the voice of
the customer in the business

• Align a company’s objectives with

market needs

• Identify and mitigate market risks

• Develop a product strategy that aligns

with the company vision and goals,
get stakeholder buy in and manage
execution to bring the plan into reality

• Future-proof the business by

continually working on the ‘next big
thing’

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Why choose this
course?
CO U RS E S N A PS H OT:
Digital transformation across all industries
has resulted in a steep rise in companies M E T H O D O F ST U DY
investing in tech to get ahead. With more
products being built than ever before, the 100% online
need for Product Managers is growing Fortnightly mentor-led live
rapidly. sessions

Amongst the highest paid roles in tech T I M E CO M M I T M E N T

across Australia and the United States1,
the current average Product Manager 60-80 hours over 10 weeks + 2
salary comes in at $117,849.2 It’s a more weeks to complete final project
challenging role to fill due to the diverse
skills and capabilities required and has CO U RS E CO N T E N T
one of the fastest growing skills gaps in 10 modules including Product
Australia.3 Vision & Strategy, Design &
Development, Go-to-Market,
Recognising the demand from employers, Financial Modeling & more
we designed this course with leading
Product Management experts to bring CO U RS E O U TCO M E S
you the most current, industry-aligned • Immediately applicable
content. This advanced course teaches practical skills
you vital skills needed in the day-to-day
job—through the lens of both product • Expertise in product strategy
+ management
strategy and management.
• An executable strategy for a
If you’re looking to excel in the exciting new product of your choice
and in-demand world of Product
Page 3 • Practical improvements to
Management, this is the course for you. real products
Elevate your career with practical skills by:
• Jira training specific to
• Analysing existing products and product managers
discovering ways to improve them
• An Industry-recognised
• Creating a product vision and high- digital credential
level roadmap
ASS U M E D K N OW L E D G E
• Creating a product backlog using
industry software, Jira Experience working within a
• Managing an Agile Sprint via a digital team
simulation Familiarity in basic Human-
• Developing a go-to-market strategy Centred Design, and lean/
Agile ways of working
• Building a strategy for a new product of
your choice, and much more. Pre-readings are available
for students with no digital
background
1
Hired (2017), State of Global Tech Salaries
2
Indeed (2021), Product Manager Salaries
3
StartupAus (2018), Talent Gap Report

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Why study with us?

D E S I G N E D F O R D I G I TA L D UA L F O CU S: ST R AT E GY +
P R O F E SS I O N A L S M A N AG E M E N T
With you and your peers having A unique aspect of this course is
prior experience of working in a the dual focus on both strategy
digital team, we are able to move and management, through 2
beyond the basics and deep separate projects. Develop your
dive into higher-value Product management skills by solving real-
Management content, allowing
world people problems in a real-
you to level up your knowledge.
world scenario project. You’ll also
You’ll be a part of a cohort that will
motivate and spur you to extend hone your strategic skills through
yourself professionally. the scenario project, and then be
given the chance to let them loose
CO - CR E AT E D W I T H I N D U ST RY on a project of your own choosing.

This course was built in-house by

IM PROVE AN EXISTING
experienced learning designers,
PRODUCT
with inputs from industry experts
working at companies including You’ll receive a detailed scenario
MYOB, PwC Digital, Deloitte and and accompanying assets and
more. We regularly update our data, with the goal of improving
content so what you’ll learn is an existing product. Put your new
always relevant and lets you stay strategy and management skills
ahead of the curve. into practice and demonstrate the
importance of continual product
L E A R N BY D O I N G improvement.

Put theory into practice with

CRE ATE YOUR OWN D IGITA L
activities in each module, from
undertaking customer research and PRODUCT
analysing usage data of real-life Get the opportunity to devise
products to setting up a product a strategy for your very own
backlog in Jira and creating user digital product. You can work
stories. on a potential product for your
organisation, or simply something
R E A L-WO R L D, F RO N T & you’re passionate about. You’ll
CENTRE graduate with a comprehensive
This course puts experiences and strategy, ready for execution. It’s
challenges of actual Product also a great way to showcase your
Managers in the spotlight. Hear skills to potential employers.
first-hand anecdotes, battle stories,
case studies and tips from the
frontlines of the industry.

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L E A D E RS H I P & P OW E RS O F M E N TO R O N - D E M A N D
P E R S UAS I O N Book up to two 1:1 sessions with
Product Managers often ‘get things your course mentor to seek clarity
done’ using a range of soft skills, and receive personalised feedback
rather than via hierarchical power about your work throughout the
from their position. Apply your course.
communication, collaboration and
negotiation skills to manage a CO H O RT- B AS E D
team and project, sell a vision, and Never feel like you’re studying
influence others to achieve the best alone as you start the course
outcome. and go through the topics at the
same pace as all other students.
L E A R N F RO M I N D U ST RY Regularly interact with your
E X P E RTS classmates to discuss current
This course is supported by topics and work collaboratively on
experienced Product Managers. activities. Use the chat function on
To ensure you’re learning from the our learning platform to learn from
best, we hand-pick our course your peers and mentor.
mentors to guarantee their
extensive experience, both in the I N D U ST RY- R E CO G N IS E D
field and in the online classroom. CE RT I F I CAT E
Receive a Certificate of Completion
F O RT N I G H T LY L I V E S E SS I O NS as an official recognition of your
W I T H Q& A competencies and practical skills
Access exclusive live content not in Product Management. As our
found anywhere else, discuss courses are trusted by industry
projects, unpick challenges with leaders, leading organisations
your mentor and classmates, or and recruiters all around Australia,
listen to live presentations from adding this credential to your CV
guest industry speakers. Scheduled or LinkedIn profile can boost your
live video sessions help you stay on employability.
track, while allowing some flexibility
in pacing your study. A LU M N I B E N E F I TS
Get access to our alumni-exclusive
S O C I A L- F I RST L E A R N I N G events and Slack channel with
P L AT F O R M job offers, career guidance and
Absorb course content on our slick networking opportunities. Receive
and easy, custom learning platform discounts on your future Academy
powered by NovoEd. Think of it as Xi courses and a credit when you
your online campus, with gamified refer a friend.
content encouraging classmate
interaction and rewarding your
efforts. There’s also an app to
make learning on-the-go super
convenient and accessible, 24/7.

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What you’ll learn

This course will equip you with the skills and knowledge required to successfully
perform the mutli-facted role of a Product Manager.

Learning resources include:

• Platform based written content with multimedia elements

• In-house video content
• Real-world case study and data
• Weekly challenges
• Project assessments
• Fortnightly live sessions with your mentor and classmates
• Collaborative and engaging discussions with your peers
• Mentor and peer project review
• Mentor-on-demand sessions
• Links to additional resources
Your learning will be supported by practical activities throughout the course, so you
can put theory into practice right away.

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I D E N T I F Y I N G O P P O RT U N I T I E S
Investigate the first stage of any successful product - identifying and analysing opportunities.
This includes strategically understanding the organisation, its goals and objectives and where it
fits in the marketplace. You’ll also delve into analysing existing products, finding opportunities for
improvement and understanding what makes a great product.

TOPICS
» Who are you?
» What are you trying to do?
» Where do you fit?
» Analysing existing products
» Creating great products
» Opportunity hypothesis

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Strategically understand the organisation
» Analyse existing products and customer data
» Create an opportunity hypothesis

P R O D U CT V IS I O N & ST R AT E GY
Examine methods of validating your opportunity hypothesis from week 1, along with working to
define and communicate your product vision, product requirements and high-level strategy.

TOPICS
» Basic user research
» Personas & journey maps
» User scenarios
» Financial modeling
» Analysing risk
» Defining product requirements

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Create a basic lean canvas
» Validate your opportunity hypothesis
» Define objectives/KPIs
» Create a product vision & high-level roadmap

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P R O D U CT D E S I G N
Explore how products are designed using Human-Centred Design (HCD) principles. Specifically,
you will go through the process of a Google Design Sprint (Understand, Define, Sketch, Decide,
Prototype, Validate).

TOPICS
» Designing Digital Products
» Design Roles and Processes
» Defining Product Requirements
» The Customer Journey
» User Scenarios
» Google Design Sprints
» UX and Usability
» Low Fidelity Concepts & Wireframes

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Create a ‘lean’ product requirement document (PRD)
» Simulate a micro design sprint
» Create a customer journey & user scenarios
» Create a ‘Back of the Napkin’ Low Fidelity Concept

P R O D U CT D E V E LO P M E N T ( S P R I N T W E E K 1)
The first of a 2-module section centred around product development in a digital team, you will
look at applying the Agile Scrum methodology to product development and use Jira to create
roadmaps, product backlogs and sprint boards.

TOPICS
» Developing digital products
» Product Development methodologies
» Building an MVP
» Using Jira
» Acceptance Criteria + The Definition of Done
» The Backlog, Prioritisation and Refinement

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Create a delivery plan
» Design a roadmap & product backlog in Jira

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P R O D U CT R E L E AS E & T E C H S K I L LS F O R
P R O D U CT M A N AG E RS ( S P R I N T W E E K 2)
The second of the 2-module section centred around product development, you will focus
on working with remote and on-site tech teams, technical literacy & concepts for product
managers, along with the quality assurance (QA) and deployment process.

TOPICS
» Working with Tech teams
» Working with Remote teams
» Tech concepts for product managers
» Backlog prioritisation & refinement
» Quality Assurance (QA)
» User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
» Retrospectives & release
» Deployment

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Complete an Agile Sprint simulation challenge

G O -TO - M A R K E T ST R AT E GY
This module is centred around your product’s go-to-market strategy. This includes developing
your strategy for messaging, channels, audience, tactics, along with planning your pre-launch
phase.

TOPICS
» Customer lifecycle
» Behavioural psychology
» Marketing strategy
» Marketing channels
» Product messaging
» A/B testing
» Betas and limited roll outs
» Client onboarding & training
» Launching your products

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Complete a micro go-to-market strategy

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P OST L AU N C H , P R O D U CT S U CC E SS &
CO N T I N U O U S I M P R OV E M E N T
Discover how to manage products post-launch with an important focus on evaluation of the
overall process from measuring success through to dealing with customer complaints, as well as
looking ahead to improving the product.

TOPICS
» Measuring success
» Using analytics and data
» Post-launch planning
» Continuous improvement
» Building customer relationships
» Customer support
» Dealing with negative feedback & complaints

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Complete post-launch scenario challenges

P R O D U CT ST R AT E GY - A D E E P E R D I V E
Circling back to weeks 2 & 3 with a deeper focus on more advanced topics. You will be applying
your strategic knowledge to ideating new products rather than iterating and improving on
existing ones.

TOPICS
» Investigating market trends & gaps
» Generative & evaluative research
» Recruiting users for research
» Interviewing skills

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Complete initial research for a new product of your choice

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F I N A N C I A L M O D E L I N G: B U D G E TS & DATA
Time to cover a number of technical, financial and quantitative skills that are relevant to Product
Managers.

TOPICS
» Financial modeling
» Managing budgets
» Analysing data

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Continue with the strategy development for your new product

P R O D U CT STO RY T E L L I N G: L E A D E RS H I P &
P E RS UAS I O N
Learn how to lead and influence stakeholders to ensure your product is set up for success.
Tapping into emotional intelligence and leveraging powers of persuasion are how you will often
get things done, rather than via direct hierarchical power from your position.

TOPICS
» Leadership skills
» Cross-team collaboration
» Stakeholder management
» Product Storytelling
» Presentation Skills
» How to future-proof yourself as a Product Manager
» How to land a Product Manager job

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Start preparing a presentation about your strategy & new product

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YO U R F I N A L P R E S E N TAT I O N
Weeks 11 and 12 are all about completing your final strategy project and presentation. Wrap up
the training by presenting your product strategy to the class.

TOPICS
» Continue working on your product strategy presentation
» Present your strategy to the group during your live session in week 12
» Receive structured feedback from your mentor

Please note some topics and activities are subject to change, based on continuous
improvements suggested by our industry expert consultants.

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Learning outcomes

In this course you’ll get a solid understanding of • Junior or Associate Product Managers
Product Management processes and put them seeking a promotion
into practice through a variety of activities. • Product or digital team members (product
On completion of this course, you’ll be able to: owners, developers, UX or SD designers)
• Identify strategic opportunities to develop looking to gain strategic skills to step up into
market-leading digital products or improve a PM role
existing ones • Entrepreneurs wanting to develop and/or
• Create and iterate a product vision and launch their own digital products.
roadmap to inspire and drive collaboration
• Manage the design of innovative digital
products using human-centred design Assessment
principles
• Execute on the product strategy using Agile Our graduates are recognised by the industry
and lean ways of working to possess the essential skills expected of a
• Lead cross-functional teams and Product Manager. The primary method of
collaborate with customers and stakeholders assessment is project work. This course includes
to build desirable, viable and feasible two assessment projects.
products
The first project will see you working through a
• Manage and improve products throughout challenge to improve upon an existing product.
their lifecycle based on data-driven insights Specifically designed to reflect the real-world
role of most Product Managers, you will be
provided with assets, detailed scenarios and
Who this course is for data.

The second project provides you with the

This course is designed for ambitious students, opportunity to develop a strategy for a digital
ideally with existing experience and knowledge product of your choosing. This could be a
from working in digital team environments. If product you’re particularly passionate about, or
this sounds like you and you’re after practical, a potential product for your existing workplace.
industry-focused training with mentor support This project results in you having a product
and classmate collaboration, this course is for strategy that’s ready to execute.
you.
Our Product Management: Elevate course is To prepare for the assessments, you should
ideal for a variety of professionals, including: complete all the activities and tasks throughout
the course, participate in the peer review of task
• Product Managers who were never formally
work and test your knowledge through multiple
trained and would like to fill knowledge gaps
choice quizzes.
• Traditional Product Managers looking to get
up to date with the latest digital product At the end of the course, you will submit your
management terminology, processes and assessment projects for marking and present
cloud-based tools your final project to the cohort. You will receive
feedback in written form and through a live or
recorded video session with your mentor.

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Course timeframe Support and feedback
Your course takes approximately 60-80 hours. Our Tribe will support you from enrolment to
This includes absorbing the learning materials, graduation, helping you achieve your goals
attending live sessions, participating in 1:1 every step of the way:
mentoring sessions, completing the course
• The Experience Team: Your go-to for
activities, working on your assessment
any day-to-day questions to ensure a
projects, and communicating with peers and
seamless online experience.
your mentor.
• Your Mentor: Through regular live video
You’ll cover the course modules in 10 weeks,
sessions, private mentor on-demand
followed by 2 weeks dedicated to completing
sessions and the in-platform chat function,
your final project.
your mentor will guide you throughout
You’ll continue to enjoy 6 months access the course and share their wealth of
to the course content from the time of experience.
enrolment.
• Your classmates: To brainstorm, bounce
ideas off and make lifelong friends.
Next steps You can reach your peers through the
discussion tool embedded in our online
learning portal.
GE T I N TOU CH
Speak to one of our Course Advisors to resolve
any queries and get enrolled:
[email protected]
1300 683 923

Academy Xi © Page 14