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Technical Program Manager Interview Questions

Review this list of 160 technical program manager interview questions and answers verified by hiring managers and candidates.
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'Tell me about a time when you made short-term sacrifices for long-term gains.'
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    +76

    "Recently, I had to make a decision that I could automate a part of a process now and help the operations team reducing 9 hours of manual work to 60 minutes for one client. The second option was to fully automate the end to end process that would take 4 weeks of development, but fully automate the process and that could be rolled out across the board. The process was to change the member's paperless preference to paper when a sent email gets bounced 3 times in a row and inform her with a paper"

    Anonymous Aardvark - "Recently, I had to make a decision that I could automate a part of a process now and help the operations team reducing 9 hours of manual work to 60 minutes for one client. The second option was to fully automate the end to end process that would take 4 weeks of development, but fully automate the process and that could be rolled out across the board. The process was to change the member's paperless preference to paper when a sent email gets bounced 3 times in a row and inform her with a paper"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +5 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
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    +78

    "My approach to dealing with difficult stakeholders has always been: Engage - Directly engage with the stakeholder, meet or chat Listen - Listen to what they have to say, patiently. Understand - Understand their POV, even if it is impossible at some times Ask - Ask clarifying questions. Why? When? What? Engage again - Keep them in the loop until there is closure For example, we were in the final stages of a very important, strategic project for our organization. I was leading th"

    Jane D. - "My approach to dealing with difficult stakeholders has always been: Engage - Directly engage with the stakeholder, meet or chat Listen - Listen to what they have to say, patiently. Understand - Understand their POV, even if it is impossible at some times Ask - Ask clarifying questions. Why? When? What? Engage again - Keep them in the loop until there is closure For example, we were in the final stages of a very important, strategic project for our organization. I was leading th"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +8 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'Tell me about a time you made a mistake.'
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    +86

    "Let me tell you about a time where a website I managed suddenly showed slow performance and the mistake on our side was it was unnoticed until a user reported the issue to management. As a PM for that project, I took full responsibility of the situation and worked with the engineering team to quickly resolve it. This mistake taught me the importance of focusing and monitoring non functional requirements as well in addition to new feature development /adoption where I was mostly spending my time"

    Sreenisha S. - "Let me tell you about a time where a website I managed suddenly showed slow performance and the mistake on our side was it was unnoticed until a user reported the issue to management. As a PM for that project, I took full responsibility of the situation and worked with the engineering team to quickly resolve it. This mistake taught me the importance of focusing and monitoring non functional requirements as well in addition to new feature development /adoption where I was mostly spending my time"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +6 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
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    "I most want to communicate a few principals of conflict resolution that I believe were integral in this situation, which are mutual respect, a results orientation, an unwavering focus on the user. To that end, here’s how I’d like to structure this answer: First, I’ll tell you about the project we were working on, to provide some background for you. Second, I’ll describe the disagreement. Third, I’ll describe how we arrived at a solution, and finally, I’ll discuss how those 3 conflict resolut"

    Ross B. - "I most want to communicate a few principals of conflict resolution that I believe were integral in this situation, which are mutual respect, a results orientation, an unwavering focus on the user. To that end, here’s how I’d like to structure this answer: First, I’ll tell you about the project we were working on, to provide some background for you. Second, I’ll describe the disagreement. Third, I’ll describe how we arrived at a solution, and finally, I’ll discuss how those 3 conflict resolut"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +5 more
  • N
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    +26

    "We had a huge launch on September 1st of this year where we completely redesigned our application from the grounds up and also migrated to a new platform (React.JS). This project took us 8 months and the launch was a huge deal for the team. Unfortunately the launch wasn't as smooth as we expected and despite doing multiple rounds of QA, some major issues cropped up in the core part of the app right after launch and our client was quite upset since it was disrupting their day-to-day workflow. "

    Aabid S. - "We had a huge launch on September 1st of this year where we completely redesigned our application from the grounds up and also migrated to a new platform (React.JS). This project took us 8 months and the launch was a huge deal for the team. Unfortunately the launch wasn't as smooth as we expected and despite doing multiple rounds of QA, some major issues cropped up in the core part of the app right after launch and our client was quite upset since it was disrupting their day-to-day workflow. "See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +7 more
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  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
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    "Step 1: Clarifying the Problem Scope Assumptions and basic system requirements: Cashless payments: The machine supports cashless payment methods like credit cards, mobile wallets, or NFC-based payments (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay). Multiple candy options: The machine offers different types of candy. Inventory management: The system tracks the stock of candy in real-time. User interface: A display screen for users to select the type of candy, make payments, an"

    Ramendra S. - "Step 1: Clarifying the Problem Scope Assumptions and basic system requirements: Cashless payments: The machine supports cashless payment methods like credit cards, mobile wallets, or NFC-based payments (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay). Multiple candy options: The machine offers different types of candy. Inventory management: The system tracks the stock of candy in real-time. User interface: A display screen for users to select the type of candy, make payments, an"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    System Design
  • J
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    "Found bug will not impact on the new requirements, if the engineering team aware of the source of the bug and the severity, than it can easily be handled and regression test to perform for a quality check. The new requirement should be equally prioritize for groom and start creating task and team to work on it. Finally based on the severity of the bug you can shuffle the resources between these items."

    Jagat mohan B. - "Found bug will not impact on the new requirements, if the engineering team aware of the source of the bug and the severity, than it can easily be handled and regression test to perform for a quality check. The new requirement should be equally prioritize for groom and start creating task and team to work on it. Finally based on the severity of the bug you can shuffle the resources between these items."See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Program Sense
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'Tell me about a time when you solved a complex problem and how you went about it.'
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    +9

    "I work at a startup that makes software for Law Enforcement and the FBI. Our product analyzes calls being made by prison inmates and "listens" for predictors of violence and criminal behavior. Our clients are some of the top state prisons in the country. Recently one of the largest states in the country decided to evaluate our product for their prison system. I demo'd the product to the officers and they seemed to like everything. During the presentation they asked us if the product was ADA com"

    Aabid S. - "I work at a startup that makes software for Law Enforcement and the FBI. Our product analyzes calls being made by prison inmates and "listens" for predictors of violence and criminal behavior. Our clients are some of the top state prisons in the country. Recently one of the largest states in the country decided to evaluate our product for their prison system. I demo'd the product to the officers and they seemed to like everything. During the presentation they asked us if the product was ADA com"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +5 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'Design Instagram.'
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    +48

    "Very well done."

    Vijay M. - "Very well done."See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    System Design
    +3 more
  • K
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    +22

    "Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The increasing ability of machines to learn and act intelligently will absolutely transform our world. It is also the driving force behind many of the other trends on this list. The Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to the ever-growing number of “smart” devices and objects that are connected to the internet. Such devices are constantly gathering and transmitting data, further fueling the growth in Big Data and AI. **Blockchains and"

    Ashish B. - "Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The increasing ability of machines to learn and act intelligently will absolutely transform our world. It is also the driving force behind many of the other trends on this list. The Internet of Things (IoT). This refers to the ever-growing number of “smart” devices and objects that are connected to the internet. Such devices are constantly gathering and transmitting data, further fueling the growth in Big Data and AI. **Blockchains and"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Technical
  • Accenture logoAsked at Accenture 
    Video answer for 'Tell me about yourself.'
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    "As you know, this is the most important question for any interview. Here is a structure I like to follow, Start with 'I'm currently a SDE/PM/TPM etc with XYZ company.... ' Mention how you got into PM/TPM/SDE field (explaining your journey) Mention 1 or 2 accomplishments Mention what you do outside work (blogging, volunteer etc) Share why are you looking for a new role Ask the interviewer if they have any questions or will like to dive deep into any of your experience"

    Bipin R. - "As you know, this is the most important question for any interview. Here is a structure I like to follow, Start with 'I'm currently a SDE/PM/TPM etc with XYZ company.... ' Mention how you got into PM/TPM/SDE field (explaining your journey) Mention 1 or 2 accomplishments Mention what you do outside work (blogging, volunteer etc) Share why are you looking for a new role Ask the interviewer if they have any questions or will like to dive deep into any of your experience"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +8 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'What is the project you are most proud of?'
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    +49

    "I was working for my friend building streams at venues across the Chicago land area for FGC (fighting game tournaments), I adjusted and engineered his equipment to be set up permanently that's until covid came around at least. I used OBS to give visual appearances to stream watchers. So we're talking about subscribe, follow, and donation notifications and things of that nature for viewers to know they contributed in one of those ways. I set up proper sign-up scheduling for participants to lock t"

    Ayinde B. - "I was working for my friend building streams at venues across the Chicago land area for FGC (fighting game tournaments), I adjusted and engineered his equipment to be set up permanently that's until covid came around at least. I used OBS to give visual appearances to stream watchers. So we're talking about subscribe, follow, and donation notifications and things of that nature for viewers to know they contributed in one of those ways. I set up proper sign-up scheduling for participants to lock t"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +8 more
  • Y

    "We were working on a very high stake migration project where were suppose to migrate all the traffic (more than 40 million users per day) from legacy to modern micro-services based architecture. Before making this massive migration decision, company has already developed a lot of services outside monolith and we were suppose to utilise those services. Some these services there were PADs responsible to communicate the specific vendor APIs. For each vendor we had a dedicated PAD. Fast forward"

    Mohammad shahid S. - "We were working on a very high stake migration project where were suppose to migrate all the traffic (more than 40 million users per day) from legacy to modern micro-services based architecture. Before making this massive migration decision, company has already developed a lot of services outside monolith and we were suppose to utilise those services. Some these services there were PADs responsible to communicate the specific vendor APIs. For each vendor we had a dedicated PAD. Fast forward"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Y

    "I liked the role of a TPM due to the opportunity to contribute to the multiple dimensions of software product development. As a TPM I need to collaborate with multiple teams like Engineering, Product, and other business functions, but I also get the opportunity to contribute to the technical aspects of the program/project. I can use my sharp analytical skills to identify/anticipate problems, and leverage my problem solving skills to unblock the teams. I orchestrate multiple teams effort to del"

    A R. - "I liked the role of a TPM due to the opportunity to contribute to the multiple dimensions of software product development. As a TPM I need to collaborate with multiple teams like Engineering, Product, and other business functions, but I also get the opportunity to contribute to the technical aspects of the program/project. I can use my sharp analytical skills to identify/anticipate problems, and leverage my problem solving skills to unblock the teams. I orchestrate multiple teams effort to del"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
  • Z
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    +1

    "Evaluate how much the issue affects the sprint goal and timeline. If it blocks the main goal, it needs to be prioritized. Discuss the issue with the team. Analyze the root cause of the issue. Is it because of unclear requirements or a design flaw? You may need to re-prioritize tasks. If the issue is serious enough to delay or change the sprint goal, communicate the updates to stakeholders and manage their expectations. Keep an eye on the solution’s progress and adjust your plans a"

    Hamzeh J. - "Evaluate how much the issue affects the sprint goal and timeline. If it blocks the main goal, it needs to be prioritized. Discuss the issue with the team. Analyze the root cause of the issue. Is it because of unclear requirements or a design flaw? You may need to re-prioritize tasks. If the issue is serious enough to delay or change the sprint goal, communicate the updates to stakeholders and manage their expectations. Keep an eye on the solution’s progress and adjust your plans a"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +1 more
  • Accenture logoAsked at Accenture 
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    "I follow a variation of the RICE framework when prioritizing how I ship product features. I start by looking at: Reach: Because the customer segmentation across our product portfolio is so similar, I tend to hold a lot of weight on product features that will maximize our customer reach with a minimal LOE. Impact: After establishing which customer segments will benefit from the product feature, I determine the urgency and estimated impact on each customer segment based on customer i"

    Ashley C. - "I follow a variation of the RICE framework when prioritizing how I ship product features. I start by looking at: Reach: Because the customer segmentation across our product portfolio is so similar, I tend to hold a lot of weight on product features that will maximize our customer reach with a minimal LOE. Impact: After establishing which customer segments will benefit from the product feature, I determine the urgency and estimated impact on each customer segment based on customer i"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +8 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Video answer for 'Design Twitter.'
    +8

    "In the API design, the interviewer is switching between RPC style (operation based endpoints) and REST style (resource oriented). Sticking to one convention and explaining why it is preferred over the other e.g. REST if the twitter domain maps nicely to resources e.g. /tweet or /follower or /user would help to create a more consistent and unified API. It would make it easier for clients to integrate with the API as well."

    dreamingincode - "In the API design, the interviewer is switching between RPC style (operation based endpoints) and REST style (resource oriented). Sticking to one convention and explaining why it is preferred over the other e.g. REST if the twitter domain maps nicely to resources e.g. /tweet or /follower or /user would help to create a more consistent and unified API. It would make it easier for clients to integrate with the API as well."See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    System Design
    +1 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    +6

    "I will divide my answer in 2 parts: Process I use for managing risks in any Project I will explain a real life situation where a Risk occurred and how I managed it Process for Risk Management can be broken down into 3 parts: Risk Identification: Risk identification is a team effort and is an ongoing process that happens throughout the Project. Technical Risks are usually identified during design/build/testing stage. I maintain a Risk register document to capture all the risks identified"

    Saket S. - "I will divide my answer in 2 parts: Process I use for managing risks in any Project I will explain a real life situation where a Risk occurred and how I managed it Process for Risk Management can be broken down into 3 parts: Risk Identification: Risk identification is a team effort and is an ongoing process that happens throughout the Project. Technical Risks are usually identified during design/build/testing stage. I maintain a Risk register document to capture all the risks identified"See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    Behavioral
    +3 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    Video answer for 'Design a reservation and payment system for a parking garage.'
    +7

    "Since there is a need for the data to be accurate and consistent without any latency to allocate a spot, can't the data be synchronously synced to replicas after every write as the number of writes are not many per min, instead of read lock phenomena Let me know if i am on a wrong thought here."

    Chitapuram N. - "Since there is a need for the data to be accurate and consistent without any latency to allocate a spot, can't the data be synchronously synced to replicas after every write as the number of writes are not many per min, instead of read lock phenomena Let me know if i am on a wrong thought here."See full answer

    Technical Program Manager
    System Design
    +2 more
Showing 1-20 of 160