Product Management Templates & Tools Inspired by The Product Manager’s Desk Reference written by Steven Haines When I wrote The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (all editions), one of my goals was to equip product managers with relevant, usable templates and tools that support real-world product decision-making. Frameworks only matter if they can be applied, and these templates were designed with that principle in mind. Today, as product managers search for product management templates, they’ll often find generic “fill-in-the-blank” forms that lack context, instruction, or strategic guidance. Product management requires more than filling in blanks. It requires clarity, shared understanding, and structured thinking. This collection provides exactly that. All templates are organized by the chapters of The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition) and include two powerful resources: Chapter Abstracts. Each chapter abstract gives you a concise summary of key concepts, frameworks, and processes described in the book. Illustration insights. Every illustration from the book is presented as a practical product management template, framework, or work aid you can use to support product planning, strategy, customer insight development, roadmap creation, business case development, and ongoing product management activities. The following provides guideposts for each chapter and the core information. From here, you can navigate to the pages with the abstracts and templates. Ch 1: What is Product Management? Explore Chapter 1 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition), including product taxonomy, portfolio structure models, and the Product Management Life Cycle. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts A product is anything that is sold and exists to create value. Product management is holistic business management across the product lifecycle. Product managers must lead cross-functionally and influence without authority. Products exist within taxonomies, product lines, and portfolios. The Product Management Life Cycle Model provides structure for decision-making. Ch 2: The Product Master Plan Access Chapter 2 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition), including the Product Master Plan and organizational summary. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts The Product Master Plan is the central organizing system for product information. It consolidates customer, market, financial, and operational insights. The plan supports strategic alignment and cross-functional communication. Product managers use it to guide decisions, prioritization, and planning cycles. The Master Plan evolves as new knowledge is gained throughout the lifecycle. Ch 3: Leadership – Creating Influence Access Chapter 3 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how product managers build influence, credibility, and leadership capability. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts The Product Master Plan is the central organizing system for product information. It consolidates customer, market, financial, and operational insights. The plan supports strategic alignment and cross-functional communication. Product managers use it to guide decisions, prioritization, and planning cycles. The Master Plan evolves as new knowledge is gained throughout the lifecycle. Ch 4: Leveraging Teams to Get Things Done Access Chapter 4 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how product managers build and lead cross-functional teams, establish roles and responsibilities, and drive coordinated execution. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Product managers work through cross-functional teams that bring different expertise and perspectives. Clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations reduce confusion and friction. High-functioning teams rely on trust, open communication, and shared goals. The product manager must coordinate, facilitate, and remove obstacles rather than “command” the team. Effective teaming accelerates decision-making and improves execution quality. Ch 5: Problem-Solving, Decision-Making, and Prioritizing Explore Chapter 5 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn decision-making models, prioritization frameworks, and structured problem-solving techniques for product managers. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Product work involves complex, multi-dimensional problems that require structure to solve. Good problem solving begins with clearly defining the problem and desired outcome. Decision-making balances customer needs, business impact, feasibility, and risk. Prioritization frameworks help compare options consistently and transparently. A repeatable approach to problems and decisions improves speed, alignment, and product outcomes. Ch 6: Finance for the Product Manager: Keeping Score Access Chapter 6 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how product managers interpret financial statements, build business cases, model pricing and costs, and evaluate product performance. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Understanding financial language and statements Cash flow, DCF, and sensitivity analysis Pricing and product cost modeling Building and managing product financials Using ratios and scorecards Ensuring financial alignment across the life cycle Ch 7: The Playing Field and the Players – Analyzing the Industry & Competition Access Chapter 7 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to analyze industries, evaluate competitors, apply PRESTO factors, and build actionable competitive insights. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Industry analysis fundamentals Competitive intelligence gathering Understanding industry evolution Competitive positioning SWOT and comparative evaluation Data sources and ethical considerations Ch 8: Finding Markets to Conquer by Understanding Customer Needs and Market Access Chapter 8 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to analyze customer needs, define market segments, choose target markets, and develop customer value insights. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Customer needs as segmentation drivers Dynamic market segment behavior Target market definition Voice of the Customer techniques Customer journey and personas Mapping customer needs to product features Ch 9: Preparing to Set Your Mileposts: Forecasting for the Product Manager Access Chapter 9 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to build market forecasts, test assumptions, determine market potential, and align cross-functional forecasting. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Market potential modeling Forecast assumptions Customer-input modeling Sales forecasting Cross-functional forecasting Demand planning and validation Ch 10: Product Strategy Formulation Access Chapter 10 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to develop product strategy, baseline product performance, synthesize insights, and choose strategic options. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Strategy as a dynamic system Strategic cascading across levels Inputs to strategy formulation Synthesizing insights from data Strategic opportunity identification Roadmap alignment Ch 11: Linear Product Planning and Prioritization Access Chapter 11 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how product managers evaluate ideas, apply phase-gate planning, prioritize opportunities, and build business cases. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Linear planning fundamentals Developing and evaluating ideas Sorting and categorizing opportunities Prioritization logic Feasibility assessment Approval and concept reviews Ch 12: Appearances Are Everything: Defining and Designing the Product Access Chapter 12 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to define products using PRDs, elicit and validate requirements, and connect customer needs to product design. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Product definition documentation Requirements elicitation and management Structuring product requirements Prioritizing and validating requirements Evolving product design Preparing for definition reviews Ch 13: Product Planning and Prioritizing in the Digital World Access Chapter 13 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to plan and prioritize digital products, validate value propositions, stage features for release, and ensure strategic fit in fast-moving markets. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Digital product planning principles Continuous discovery and validation Prototyping and experimentation Digital customer value drivers Prioritization for digital releases Scalable feature staging Ch 14: Execution and Oversight During Product Development Access Chapter 14 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how product managers oversee development execution, manage scope, balance tradeoffs, and ensure products are built to requirements. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Managing development execution Handling scope and prioritization Testing and validation Managing iterative and linear processes Documentation and communication Oversight across functions Ch 15: To Market, to Market: Launching and Releasing Products Access Chapter 15 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to plan, coordinate, and execute product launches and releases that accelerate revenue and market adoption. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Launch benchmarking and planning Internal and external readiness Launch sequencing and execution Market window evaluation Beta testing and early reviews Preparing sales and channels Ch 16: Auditing Results After the Launch Access Chapter 16 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to measure post-launch performance, evaluate market and financial results, and apply lessons learned to improve future product decisions. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Post-launch audit purpose Impartial audit systems Marketing, sales, and operations assessment Evaluating readiness alignment Conformance to launch metrics Identifying corrective actions Ch 17: Post-Launch Performance Management Access Chapter 17 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to manage products across introduction, growth, maturity, and decline using life cycle models and performance indicators. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Running the product after launch Building a performance fact base Market, financial, and operational metrics Assessing life cycle state Updating roadmaps Pricing-performance interactions Ch 18: Product Portfolio Management Access Chapter 18 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to evaluate, balance, and manage a product portfolio to align investments with strategy, risk, and growth objectives. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts Portfolio management fundamentals Life cycle–based portfolio models Organizational structures for portfolio oversight Portfolio governance and prioritization Portfolio-level metrics and tools Balancing investments across products Ch 19: Product End-of-Life Planning Access Chapter 19 templates and tools from The Product Manager’s Desk Reference (3rd Edition). Learn how to plan, manage, and communicate product end-of-life decisions while minimizing risk and preserving customer trust. Download the chapter abstract and illustration insights. Core Concepts How to identify discontinuation triggers Barriers and organizational challenges Steps in discontinuation decision-making Documentation, notice, and communication Managing cross-functional discontinuation processes Responsible product retirement Contact Us SLN: Contact Form PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.First Name*Last Name*Email* Phone*Company Name*What Sector Does Your Company Most Closely Identify With?*What Sector Do You Identify With?EnergyMaterialsIndustrialsConsumer DiscretionaryConsumer StaplesHealth CareFinancialsInformation TechnologyCommunication ServicesUtilitiesReal EstateOtherMessage* Why Sequent Learning Networks? Battle-Tested Methodology This isn’t theory. It’s 25+ years of research including: Benchmarking 42 Fortune 500 companies Conducting hundreds of organizational diagnostics Training thousands of product managers and product leaders across industries Authoring the definitive handbooks that speak to product managers throughout their entire career cycle
