Course

PM to TPM: Build the technical fluency to become a Technical Program Manager

Vineeta Sreekumar

Ex-Engineer | Ex-Amazon TPM | Author

You don't need to become an engineer to step into Technical Program Management.

Build the technical fluency to lead complex programs with credibility.

You're in a meeting. An engineer says, "We'd need to refactor the service layer before we can ship that," and the room nods.

You nod, make a mental note to look it up later, and keep the meeting moving, even though you know you're missing something important.

Or you're in a design review. Engineers are debating architecture, dependencies, scalability, and trade-offs. You know the program, the timelines, and the dependencies, but suddenly you're no longer driving the technical conversation.

If you've ever felt responsible for a technical program without having the technical fluency to lead it confidently, you're not alone.

This isn't a confidence problem. It's a technical fluency gap that's holding you back from leading at the TPM level.

The goal isn't to become an engineer. It's to become technical enough to lead.

You need enough technical fluency to ask better questions, spot risks, challenge assumptions, and lead technical decisions.

That's the gap this course is designed to close.

In 6 weeks, you'll build the technical fluency to move from PM to TPM-level technical leadership.

What you’ll learn

You won't just learn distributed systems, APIs, and infrastructure. You'll learn how to:

  • Interpret architecture diagrams and identify key dependencies

  • Evaluate scalability, security, and cost trade-offs

  • Identify its architecture, dependencies, trade-offs, and technical risks

  • Read technical design docs and contribute meaningfully in design reviews

  • Ask questions that surface assumptions and technical risks

  • Discuss technical decisions with engineers

  • Recognize technical debt and fragile dependencies

  • Evaluate technical trade-offs and make informed decisions

  • Translate technical complexity into clear decisions leadership can act on

  • Use AI to investigate unfamiliar systems, code, and metrics independently

  • Investigate technical problems before escalating them

  • Build a repeatable process to stay technically current

  • Analyze a real system, including its architecture, dependencies, and trade-offs

  • Present your analysis and defend your technical decisions live

  • Leave with a 90-day plan to continue building your technical fluency

Learn directly from Vineeta

Vineeta Sreekumar

Vineeta Sreekumar

Contact

Ex-Engineer | Ex-Amazon TPM | Author

See all products from Vineeta

Who this course is for

  • You're a PM working closely with engineering. You want to lead technical discussions and decisions with confidence.

  • You're preparing for a promotion or transition to TPM. You want to prove you're ready to lead technically complex programs.

  • You have an engineering background and want your technical edge back. Use it to step into more technical TPM roles.

What's included

Vineeta Sreekumar

Live sessions

Learn directly from Vineeta Sreekumar in a real-time, interactive format.

Lifetime access

Lifetime access to course materials and technical frameworks

Community of peers

Small, high-touch cohort of 8–12 professionals

Certificate of completion

Certificate of completion + proof of your technical skills

Maven Guarantee

Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.

Course syllabus

6 live sessions • 7 lessons

Week 1

Nov 14—Nov 15

    Nov

    14

    Live Session 1: Technical Foundations: How Software Works

    Sat 11/145:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Exercise: Decode a Real API

    1 item

Week 2

Nov 16—Nov 22

    Nov

    21

    Live Session 2: Technical Foundations: System Design Thinking, Part 1

    Sat 11/215:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    Exercise: Explain and defend the architecture

    1 item

Schedule

Live sessions

1-2 hrs / week

Six live, interactive sessions (75-90 mins), one per week, where we build your technical fluency together and work through real systems as a group.

    • Sat, Nov 14

      5:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    • Sat, Nov 21

      5:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

    • Sat, Nov 28

      5:00 PM—6:30 PM (UTC)

Projects

1 hr / week

Weekly exercises that put each concept into practice, from decoding a real API to sketching a system, plus a capstone in Week 6 where you break down a real system and present it live.

Content/Review

1 hr / week

Time to review session materials, complete short reflections at the start, middle, and end of the course, and prepare your 90-day plan alongside your capstone.

Frequently asked questions

Maven for Teams

Reimbursement

Get your company to pay

Everything L&D needs: email template, receipts, and certificate of completion.

Get reimbursed

Private cohort

Run a cohort for your org

A dedicated cohort with a custom schedule and curriculum, tailored to your team.

Book a private cohort

$799

USD

Nov 14—Dec 19
Apply