How should one design a community of practice for product managers?
We struggled with this question at Prowess and came up with 8 principles that guide us as we design a space to discuss the craft of product management.

Focused –
We are razor-focused on product management. We are not a generalist, catch-all community.

Inclusive –
Anyone with an interest in product management can join our community, irrespective of background or seniority. We have dedicated safe spaces for both aspiring and experienced product managers to engage in discussions related to their career aspirations and day-to-day work.

Exhaustive –
The community covers different stages of a professional’s career – getting the first job, growing in your job, changing jobs, mentoring others, and hiring others. These stages allow our members to see the whole picture and learn from one another.

Discussion-based –
We believe meaningful insights are discovered when people engage in forum-style discussions. Persistent topics encourage dialogue and deeper discussion compared to ephemeral chat-based tools.

Contribution-based trust levels –
The more our members contribute, the more access they get. Members can slowly unlock the ability to edit posts, flag posts, message other members, and even shape the direction of the community. We reward our members for time spent reading. Why? Because reading is listening in an online community. If you are not reading then you have no context and you are more likely to spam or ask duplicate questions.

Moderated for quality –
We don’t allow any form of spam, solicitation, or promotion. People are warned and then banned on a second strike. This way we keep our focus on what is important – learning from one another.

Easy search –
As communities grow, it becomes harder to search for the right discussions. We reduce the pain by enabling search based on topics, users, tags, and categories.

No hidden fees –
Our members can access all discussions in the community. There is no paywall to access older topics.

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