Implement a modern approach to product management. Master the fundamentals that create great teams and products

4.8

stars

2,287 ratings

Alex Cowan

42,423 already enrolled

Offered By

Digital Product Management SpecializationUniversity of Virginia

What you will learn

Create and manage a team charter that drives alignment and autonomy

Lead from the front with actionable design narrative on your customers

Create a culture of experimentation with hypothesis-driven development

Instrument relevant, actionable analytics into your product program

Skills you will gain

hypothesis-driven development
Product Management
Design Thinking
agile
Lean Startup
Product/Market Fit
Innovation Pipeline
agile user stories
User Experience Design (UXD)
Agile Software Development
Software Development
Usability Testing

About this Specialization

35,833 recent views

This Specialization is intended for both current and new product managers working in digital who want to apply a portfolio of modern practices to developing their products and teams. Through five courses, you will cover applications of product design, hypothesis-driven development and agile, all at the heart of modern product management.

Applied Learning Project

Learners will go from idea to testable product hypotheses to team charter over the course of the specialization - essentially, the preparation a product manager spinning up a new program would execute. Specifically, you'll draft a focal positioning statement, personas, jobs-to-be-done, value proposition hypotheses, user stories, and integrate them into a team charter.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Some familiarity with software development is helpful, but not required.

Approximately 5 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Chinese (Traditional), Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, Spanish

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online courses

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible Schedule

Set and maintain flexible deadlines.

Beginner Level

Some familiarity with software development is helpful, but not required.

Approximately 5 months to complete

Suggested pace of 3 hours/week

English

Subtitles: English, Chinese (Traditional), Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, Spanish

How the Specialization Works

Take Courses

A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.

Hands-on Project

Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.

Earn a Certificate

When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 5 Courses in this Specialization

Course1

Course 1

Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamentals

4.7

stars

4,298 ratings

•

1,186 reviews

Not so long ago, the job of product manager was about assessing market data, creating requirements, and managing the hand-off to sales/marketing. Maybe you’d talk to a customer somewhere in there and they’d tell you what features they wanted. But companies that manage product that way are dying.

Being a product person today is a new game, and product managers are at the center of it. Today, particularly if your product is mostly digital, you might update it several times a day. Massive troves of data are available for making decisions and, at the same time, deep insights into customer motivation and experience are more important than ever. The job of the modern product manager is to charter a direction and create a successful working environment for all the actors involved in product success. It’s not a simple job or an easy job, but it is a meaningful job where you’ll be learning all the time. This course will help you along your learning journey and prepare you with the skills and perspective you need to: Create the actionable focus to successfully manage your product (week 1) Focus your work using modern product management methods (week 2) Manage new products and explore new product ideas (week 3) Manage and amplify existing products (week 4) This course is ideal for current product or general managers interested in today's modern product management methods. This course was developed with the generous support of the Batten Institute at UVA’s Darden School of Business. The Batten Institute’s mission is to improve the world through entrepreneurship and innovation: www.batteninstitute.org.

Course2

Course 2

Agile Meets Design Thinking

4.7

stars

3,090 ratings

•

875 reviews

Despite everyone's good intentions, hard work and solid ideas, too many teams end up creating products that no one wants, no one can use, and no one buys. But it doesn't have to be this way. Agile and design thinking offer a different--and effective--approach to product development, one that results in valuable solutions to meaningful problems. In this course, you’ll learn how to determine what's valuable to a user early in the process--to frontload value--by focusing your team on testable narratives about the user and creating a strong shared perspective.

Course3

Course 3

Hypothesis-Driven Development

4.7

stars

866 ratings

•

153 reviews

To deliver agile outcomes, you have to do more than implement agile processes- you have to create focus around what matters to your user and constantly test your ideas. This is easier said than done, but most of today’s high-functioning innovators have a strong culture of experimentation.

In this course, you’ll learn how to identify the right questions at the right time, and pair them with the right methods to do just enough testing to make sure you minimize waste and maximize the outcomes you create with your user. This course is supported by the Batten Institute at UVA’s Darden School of Business. The Batten Institute’s mission is to improve the world through entrepreneurship and innovation: www.batteninstitute.org.

Course4

Course 4

Agile Analytics

4.7

stars

366 ratings

•

89 reviews

Few capabilities focus agile like a strong analytics program. Such a program determines where a team should focus from one agile iteration (sprint) to the next. Successful analytics are rarely hard to understand and are often startling in their clarity. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you'll learn how to build a strong analytics infrastructure for your team, integrating it with the core of your drive to value.

Instructor

Alex Cowan

Faculty & Batten Fellow

Darden School of Business

381,479 Learners

20 Courses

Offered by

University of Virginia

A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Can I just enroll in a single course?
Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Can I take the course for free?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
Is this course really 100% online? Do I need to attend any classes in person?
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
I completed the Agile Development Specialization. What do I have to do to finish the Digital Product Management Specialization?
To earn the Digital Product Management Specialization, you'll need to complete just one additional course: Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamentals.
Can I earn Product Management Institute (PMI) professional development units (PDUs)?
You may earn Project Management Institute (PMI) professional development units (PDUs) and Contact Hours for completing courses in the specialization. To do so, log in to PMI to access your account and submit a report.
What will I be able to do upon completing the Specialization?
You will be able to diagnose what product/market fit means for a corporation, and translate that into working charters for digital teams. From there, you'll learn how to apply that charter to the work of diagnosing what users need, testing propositions, and building product.
Do I need to take the courses in a specific order?
We suggest you take the courses in the order presented to get maximum benefit from the materials.
What background knowledge is necessary?
While no specific background knowledge is needed, learners might find it helpful to have a basic understanding of digital product development.
Will I earn university credit for completing the Specialization?
Coursera courses and certificates don't carry university credit, though some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
If I finish the Specialization, will it help me gain admission to Darden's MBA programs?
Admission to Darden is highly competitive and based on a number of requirements, including undergraduate record and degree, GMAT scores, and work experience. Successful completion of the Specialization is in no way a guarantee of admission, but please do mention this achievement in your application.
Can I download materials to share with my colleagues?
All course materials are for your personal use while participating in this course. You are not allowed to share or distribute them in any form; however, they are available for licensing. If you’re interested, please contact DardenOnline@darden.virginia.edu.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.