- Any Questions?
- 080-4710-6006
- engage@ipl.university
Sriramulu Appana – Product Manager at Tech Startup
I spent 18 years working in technology. I was a developer, a tech lead, a program manager, and a project manager. I dabbled in product management with my own company, a lot of competitive analysis, customer service, product road maps, and strategy, but I had a number of missing pieces in key areas like go-to-market strategy, and financials. I thought you might identify and relate to being out of alignment with your goals and your skill sets. This is my story about how I went from major gaps to being hired as a Product Manager. I’ll outline the procedures and the things I learned when I took on the role of Product Manager.
My career was nearly two decades of experience in various technical and managerial roles. I spent several years in a development role, and then served as a tech lead, and then moved to program and project management. Each offered lessons in execution and team leadership, but I began to realize I was missing product management skills. I had attempted elements of product strategy, but lacked knowledge in go-to-market planning and financial aspects of developing products. Identifying this shortfall pushed me to look for more formal learning, much in the same way as I would do in technical roles.
My interest in product management came from a desire to solve customer problems and create innovative solutions. During the pandemic, I had time to reflect and started looking for product management courses in India. I realized that to make a meaningful, strategic impact, I needed structured learning to fill my skill gaps. Connecting with customer needs and crafting solutions became the core reason for my career shift.
I found the Institute of Product Leadership and joined their EMBA program in 2020. Their strategy was unique, particularly during the pandemic when there were few educational opportunities. Among the things I learned were:
This structured environment, coupled with the experiential education and mentoring I received, really made a difference. A significant turning point in my improvement came after a few case studies, at the time I felt secure and was consistently doing good interviews.
Today, I work as a Product Manager at a Tech Startup. I use my passion for solving customer problems and my long-standing interest in product management to produce practical solutions. The skills I gained through my EMBA help me contribute directly to product development and strategy.
Key lessons from my journey include:
Focus on Problems: If you love finding customer problems and trying to solve them, product management may be a highly rewarding career path for you.
There was more to the EMBA program than just a degree. It was a commitment to ongoing professional and personal growth. The program also provided me with a framework, practical experience, and a network that gave me the confidence to move from a technical professional to product leadership. My journey of going from realizing there was a skills gap to finding a role in Product Management at Opsa demonstrates that with focus and support, a meaningful career transition is achievable.
Sriramulu Appana is a Product Manager at a Tech Startup. He currently has 18 years of experience working in product management, development, technology leadership, program, and project management to create solutions that are customer focused. His interest in product management and desire to solve users’ problems led me to the Executive MBA in Product Leadership program to learn more about product management, develop a product mindset, and get him into his current role.
