What is Product Analytics Training?
Product analytics training is a process of educating product managers and developers. They are teached necessary skills and techniques for collecting, interpreting, and analyzing data related to products/services.
The goal of product analytics training is to equip people with the ability to use data to make informed decisions that drive product development. On top of that, it can also help with marketing, and other business strategies.
Product analytics training covers a range of topics, including:
- data visualization,
- statistical analysis,
- data modeling, and
- machine learning.
The ultimate goal of product analytics training is simple. Understand how to use data to improve product performance, increase efficiency, and gain a competitive advantage in the respective markets.
Running Product Analytics Training in Your Team - Best Practices
Running product analytics training in your company can be a tough nut to crack. However, it doesn’t always have to be!
Our practices will help you get on the right track fast.
Ready to learn?
1️⃣ Define clear learning objectives
Before starting any training program, it’s essential to define clear learning objectives. This involves identifying the specific skills and knowledge that your product analysts or managers need to acquire. Examples include data modeling, data visualization, or machine learning. Setting straightforward goals will help ensure that the training program is tailored to the specific needs of your team.
Tip💡: Sit down with your product managers/analysts and brainstorm together on their needs regarding the training.
2️⃣ Choose the right training methods
Once you set the objectives, it’s worth picking your way of training. There are various training methods available. For instance, it could be in-person workshops, online courses, or on-the-job training. Selecting the right one for your team depends on factors such as budget, schedule, and learning preferences. A combination of training methods may be the most effective approach.
Tip💡: Think about your company structure and the best way to introduce any type of training. Consult with the trainees on their preferences and availability for such initiatives.
3️⃣ Use real-world examples
Taking advantage of real-world examples during the training of your choice is a must. Why? Simply because it will help product analysts understand how to apply their new skills and knowledge to their daily work. It also aids in making the training more engaging and relevant to their job responsibilities.
Tip💡: Before you pick your training method or training provider, be sure to confirm that real-world examples are included in the agenda. This will boost the training’s relevance and effectiveness.
4️⃣ Provide hands-on experience
Similarly to real-world examples, hands-on experience is also crucial. Providing it ensures that product managers can apply their new skills in practice. This may involve setting up mock datasets or providing access to real data sets for analysis. Don’t forget about this step!
Tip💡: Immediately after the training ends, be sure to give your product managers and analysts cases to work on - it’s the best way to get them into the rhythm quickly.
5️⃣ Offer ongoing support
Remember: your training is an ongoing process. Product analytics training should never be a one-time event. Keep this in mind. Offering constant guidance will help product analysts and managers continue to develop their skills. What’s more, this way they will stay up-to-date with new trends and techniques.
Tip💡: Good examples of ongoing support include things such as access to mentors, online resources, or additional training. Do take advantage of these!
6️⃣ Evaluate the effectiveness of training
Finally, there are no results without analytics. Wouldn’t you agree? For this reason, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of your chosen training program. Not to mention - regularly. This can involve a variety of activities. Among these are: gathering feedback from product analysts, monitoring their performance, or conducting assessments to ensure that the training is achieving its desired outcomes.
Tip💡: When evaluating the effectiveness of training, be sure to inform your trainees about the results. This way they can learn about their strengths and weaknesses - and of course adjust accordingly.
Product Analytics Training - Learning Materials and Courses Examples
Now that you know how to best approach product analytics training at your company, let’s continue with even more insights.
In this part, we want to share with you some examples of learning and training courses you may want to take advantage of.
It may be a good idea to send your employees on some of these short courses. Alternatively, you might want to introduce them to some of the other materials discussed below.
Ready to get on the next level?
#1 Become a Data Driven Product Manager – by Udemy
Our first recommendation is the “Become a Data Driven Product Manager” course by Udemy - an education technology company. This course is designed for product managers who want to use data to drive their product decisions. It concerns topics such as data collection, analysis, and visualization, as well as tools like SQL and Excel.
What it includes:
👉 6.5 hours on-demand video
👉 10 downloadable resources
👉 full lifetime access
👉 certificate of completion
What you’ll learn:
📚 data driven solutions
📚 A/B test
📚 product data driven approach
📚 take decisions based on data
#2 Digital Product Management Specialization – by Coursera
This specialization is intended for professionals who want to become digital product managers. It focuses on areas like product design, customer research, agile development, and data analysis. What’s more, participants can enjoy 4 different courses!
What it includes:
👉 Digital Product Management: Modern Fundamental Course
👉 Agile Meets Design Thinking Course
👉 Hypothesis-Driven Development Course
👉 Agile Analytics Course
What you’ll learn:
📚 product management
📚 design thinking
📚 product/market fit
📚 hypothesis-driven development
#3 Product Analytics And Iteration – by eCornell
Another example is the “Product Analytics and Iteration” course by Cornell University. Overall, it takes about 2 weeks to complete if you dedicate 3-5 hours daily for it. It’s designed for professionals who want to learn how to use data to drive product decisions.
What it includes:
👉 2-week online course
👉 100% online format, instructor-led
👉 tools to help you make informed decisions
👉 data and testing techniques
What you’ll learn:
📚 product management
📚 design thinking
📚 product/market fit
📚 hypothesis-driven development
📚 usability testing
#4 Guides and Tutorials on Web User Behavior Analytics by LiveSession
Finally, something more casual. You might not want to enroll in a course and that’s okay. After all, free and less binding resources can be invaluable as well! And that’s what LiveSession is.
LiveSession offers a range of guides and tutorials on web user behavior analytics, which is an integral part of product analytics overall. These resources cover various topics, such as A/B testing or customer experience. They are available online, and users can access them at any time.
What it includes:
👉 free materials
👉 100% online format
👉 thorough and detailed tutorials
👉 tips from experts
What you’ll learn:
📚 online form analytics
📚 A/B testing
📚 customer experience
Oh, and did we mention it’s a powerful website user behavior analytics tool as well? Using it, you can find out lots of insights about the way that people engage with your products. Isn’t that pretty cool? Learn more about it here.
To Train or Not To Train? Benefits of Product Analytics Training
Let’s smoothly move on to the next, and last, part of today’s article.
To train or not to train? This is the question!
If you’re doubtful about whether or not product analytics training can be beneficial, hold on. We’ge got something for you.
Providing your employees with proper product analytics training actually offers attractive benefits.
Here are just 4 of them:
💯 improved data literacy
Training in product analytics improves data literacy, which is one of the primary benefits. When you provide product managers with proper training, your company can ensure that they are better equipped to collect, interpret, and analyze data.
Ultimately, this leads to making more informed decision-making.
Practical example: Once there are issues with products, proper product analytics training will make it easier for your product managers to understand the problem quickly based on data.
💯 better decision making
Speaking of decision making, this is another key advantage of product analytics training. Giving your employees the skills and knowledge needed to effectively analyze product metrics is great. Why? Because that will allow them to make more informed decisions about product development and marketing strategies. Isn’t that what you’d want?
Practical example: If a company notices a decline in sales for a particular product, product analytics can help identify the root cause and guide decision-making on how to address it.
💯 improved product performance
Moving on, let’s look at product analytics training from the perspective of… products.
Believe it or not, training your employees on your offerings will improve their performance, e.g. sales or usage. Surprise? Not really.
By analyzing product and user data, analysts can identify areas for improvement and optimize product features to better meet customer needs.
Practical example: By using data analytics, a company might discover that a particular feature is underutilized or confusing for customers. Taking steps to change it, e.g. updating the feature or simplifying its use, may improve product performance.
💯 increased efficiency
Finally, increased efficiency is also a nice benefit of product analytics training. You should teach product analysts how to streamline data collection and analysis, if you want to save time and resources. All this while gaining valuable insights.
Practical example: Automating data collection can save product analysts significant time and reduce errors, allowing them to focus on analyzing data and making informed decisions.
Final remarks
Wow, what an insightful piece, wouldn’t you say?
We’ve reached the end of this article, but don’t worry. We have a bunch of others waiting for you.
To sum up this one briefly, there is one conclusion: product analytics training is one - important, and two - beneficial.
We highly recommend implementing it one way or another. Your products will thank you for it. And so will your business strategists, marketing specialists and product managers.
If you’re ready to continue with our product analytics journey, get ready for the next piece now.
It’s going to be about the best tips and tricks to effective product analytics. Read it now here.
Many thanks for coming to read this article and see you in the next one!
Related topics: product analytics tools, product roadmap tools, product strategy training, modern product management method for training, training for successful product managers, product analytics training for data-driven decisions, training for product teams, training for better product adoption, courses for a modern product manager
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