Transitioning from Executive Assistant to PM: Navigating the "Proof of Work" portfolio stage. Looking for feedback.
Hey everyone,
I’m currently navigating a transition into Product Management from a high-level operational background (4+ years as an Executive Assistant/Ops Lead managing stakeholders, cross-functional alignment, and chaotic workflows).
I’ve moved past the passive learning/course phase and am heavily focused on building out tangible "Proof of Work" artifacts to bridge the domain gap and prove execution ability.
So far, my shipped portfolio projects include:
EAPilot (Technical PRD): Scoped out an AI-driven scheduling tool targeting cross-timezone conflicts. Handled user stories, strict acceptance criteria, and technical constraints around calendar and regional holiday APIs.
Brassmoney Case Study (User Discovery): Completed an independent user research and problem discovery project focused on a fintech app, interviewing users to unearth and map actual user friction points.
The Pipeline Deployment: To up my technical literacy, I built and deployed my multi-page static portfolio site from scratch using basic HTML/CSS and GitHub pipelines.
My current sprint/focus is studying analytics frameworks (AARRR funnel, North Star metrics) and Agile/Scrum structures to layer into my execution workflows.
For those who transitioned from ops or non-traditional backgrounds: What did you find was the biggest mental gap to close when moving from operational delivery to product strategy?
Also, if any senior PMs or hiring managers have 5 minutes to brutally roast my portfolio layout or resume framing, I'd love to drop a link or shoot over a DM.
Appreciate any advice!