SVPG Articles (Silicon Valley Product Group)
Free essays from Marty Cagan and his SVPG partners on product management: the product role, discovery, strategy, the product operating model, product culture and AI in product teams. It is the free companion to the book Inspired and a steady source of clear thinking about what product managers are for.
Guide
Career Growth
Silicon Valley Product Group
5 to 15 minutes per article
All
Free
What it is
Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) is the product management consultancy and training company founded by Marty Cagan, author of Inspired, Empowered and Transformed. Its articles page collects essays by Cagan and the other SVPG partners, going back many years. Topics include product management and leadership, product discovery and strategy, the product operating model, product development, product marketing and design, product culture and transformation, and AI and productivity in product teams.
Recent titles on the page include "A Fresh Definition of The Product Role", "Build to Learn vs Build to Earn", "Strong Opinions, Loosely Held" and "The Product Model at Google".
Why it is worth your time
The articles are short, free and opinionated. They are a good way to learn how experienced product leaders think about the difference between product management and project management, why discovery matters, what product risks a team must address, and how product managers work with designers and engineers as peers.
They also help you evaluate PM jobs. If a posting describes the PM as someone who gathers requirements from sales and writes tickets, SVPG's writing helps you recognise that model and ask good questions about it.
How to read it
- Start with articles on the product role and product discovery.
- Read one article a week and write a short note: do you agree, and what would it look like at a company you know?
- Compare their views with other sources, such as Lenny's Newsletter and Shape Up from Basecamp, which describes a different way of shaping and scheduling work.
Limits
SVPG has a clear point of view and sells training and coaching. The essays argue for the empowered product team model; they are less focused on the practical constraints of agencies, service companies or very early startups. Read them as a strong argument, not the only way.
Free vs paid
The articles are free, with an optional newsletter. SVPG's workshops and coaching are paid and aimed at companies; you do not need them.
Common questions
Book or articles? Inspired gives the structured version. The articles cover the same ideas in smaller pieces and add newer topics.
Is this useful outside Silicon Valley? Yes. The ideas about outcomes, discovery and team collaboration apply to product teams anywhere, even if company practices differ.
Ready to start?
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Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Sessions are free for approved Sefism members, and a few slots open each week.
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New writing, resources and project ideas land here first.