The Journey of a Newbie Product Manager

About a few weeks ago, I signed up for the side-hustle internship program with the solid intention of learning and understanding product management.

I was very excited and interested in learning a tech skill, and I wanted to do the shakara of being a #techsis.

The side hustle internship started, and my first task was a solid one. I was glad I was going to start racking my brain to do something productive, and with the help of my able and wonderful instructor, Mrs. Damilola Agbuolaje, who took her time in answering even the dumbest and most intelligent questions, I appreciate you. You are loved.

The abundant learning materials and tutorials provided made it a wonderful journey into the tech space of product management.

I was able to do a lot in just 4 weeks; it felt like more than that. I was skeptical about joining the boot camp, to be honest, because I felt I wasn't doing enough, but speaking with my instructor made me realize why going for the boot camp would have a good impact on my learning journey.

So I enrolled in the boot camp, and even though I took the standard boot camp due to financial constraints, I was eagerly awaiting what would be given to me.

I so much anticipated the beginning of the boot camp because I was eager and ready to put everything I had learned into practice. When I found out that we would be doing our work individually, I got really scared and confused at the beginning, but I was able to get the hang of it real quick, and that was when the whole idea of how my task would be completed emerged.

The standard boot camp is also for four weeks like the premium boot camp, but unlike the premium boot camp, which gets one task per week, the standard boot camp gets one task in two weeks, so I was a little bit comforted, I wouldn't lie.

For the product management task, we were to: create a "direct messaging app" project on Jira; prioritize and organize your backlog into sprints; run scrum ceremonies; and more, all within the software.

We were also given a link to get a step-by-step process, which was helpful until my village people stepped in, but it got better.

Going through the link provided for a step-by-step process on Jira, I was already getting a hang of how I would be able to navigate Jira since I haven't used the application before.

Thinking stage:

I got to filter through a lot of my ideas for the app: what would work, what wouldn't, my user persona, user story, and user flow chart. It was a lot, but I got down to what needed to be organized, and that is where I started my sprint.

• I created backlog issues, created stories, wrote their descriptions, assigned them, and kept them under the allocated sprint.

• I also created a backlog issue regarding tasks that needed to be done and prioritized them according to their urgency.

• I also created a backlog of issues regarding bugs to deflect any matters arising for the smooth usage of the app.

I had to think all these things through really quickly, leading to some sleepless nights, but it was worth it due to the fact that I wanted my sprint to last just a week or two, which I later concluded to be just a week.

After creating all my backlog issues, I started my sprint and completed it at the stipulated time.

Though this is a task, it's something I would like to continue working on, so I decided to create more sprints with the same scheduled duration, not forgetting to involve myself in my own personal daily stand-ups.

I completed my first sprint in a week and then continued with another sprint. The reason I did this was because I wanted my methodology to be agile in case of any corrections or additions.

It was difficult for me to complete my task as I wanted because my laptop decided to pack up, as I said previously when I mentioned my village people, and Nigerian electricity is so unreliable with the use of my desktop, so I had to resort to using my phone, which was a struggle on its own, but I'm glad I did not give up. But wait, how can I give up when I paid for the boot camp? The money was already biting into my skin, so what is this little hurdle I can't overcome?

CONCLUSION:

I concluded my task and then opened a folder on Google Drive and added the links to my user persona, user story, and user flow chart.

Getting all this accomplished was a big deal for me because my eyes saw something. I am patiently looking forward to any review and score I get on this task.

Below is a link to my user persona, user story, and user flow chart:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XrnlDHj6BtomJJT0wM7dHNDNapLEP_U9?usp=share_link