Computer science Ph.D. student and #NCStateCS Ambassador Hannah Estes found her passion for research through an unexpected path: a late semester opening in a new class at NC State that reshaped her future.

“When I first came to NC State, I didn’t even plan on majoring in computer science,” said Estes. “But once I realized how computing connects to people, I knew that’s where I wanted to focus my work”.

Estes earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science from NC State in 2024, along with minors in cognitive science and global leadership and team decision-making. Those two minors deepened her interest in how people think, collaborate and interact with technology. She credits her unexpected research trajectory to a course she took, Software Product Management, taught by Katie Stolee, associate professor of computer science.

“The course opened my eyes to the role of being a software product manager (SPM), someone who connects what the user wants with how the software team can create it,” said Estes. “It was designed to help students understand how those two sides work together, and it showed me how collaboration drives innovation in software development.”

After taking Stolee’s class, Estes joined her research group as an undergraduate research assistant and began investigating how software product managers help bridge communication between engineers and stakeholders. Her undergraduate research experience inspired her to apply to NC State’s Ph.D. program in computer science, where she continues to expand on that work in her doctoral studies.

Her most recent paper, “Advancing Software Product Management Education: Insights from an Industry Survey”, takes an educational approach on the role of a software product manager, using insights from industry professionals to enhance how it’s taught. With Stolee as her mentor, Estes worked alongside four undergraduate researchers – Katie Hollowell, John Cheek, Shiv Patel and Hanna Reese – to survey professionals from at least 24 companies, including 59 software product managers and 63 software engineers. Their goal was to identify 21 key competencies and 10 factors that define the role’s value in software teams. Their research revealed that a software product manager’s ability to succeed depended on a balance of technical literacy, communication and leadership, skills that allow them to guide their team effectively.

“Our goal is to make computer-science education more reflective of real practice,” Estes said. “We want students to graduate not only with the ability to code, but also how to collaborate, communicate and understand the needs of the user.”

The paper was accepted to the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE 2025) conference in Trondheim, Norway, as part of the conference’s first-ever Software Engineering Education Track (SEET).

“For this to be my first time attending and presenting at an academic conference, I couldn’t have wished for a better group of people or location; Norway was amazing! I had the lucky spot to present on the first day directly after the keynote speech, and I’m so grateful for this opportunity to wrap up my first year. I plan to continue fostering the connections I made with the researchers and fellow Ph.D. students at the conference.”

As Estes continues her doctoral studies, she’ll continue to explore how human-centered design and educational innovation can reshape computer-science programs. She plans to expand her work by integrating data from software professionals, instructors and students to further refine how universities teach collaboration and communication in the context of software engineering.

Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.

“Advancing Software Product Management Education: Insights from an Industry Survey”

Authors: Hannah Estes, Katie Hollowell, John Cheek, Shiv Patel, Hanna Reese, Kathryn T. Stolee

Published: July 28, 2025, ACM

DOI: 10.1145/3696630.3727256

Abstract: Software product managers have become critical to a software product’s success. They act as a liaison among various stakeholders – software engineers, management, and customers – to ensure a product meets customer needs. Despite the role’s rise in popularity, research and related educational materials are just emerging. In this paper, we aim to understand the educational needs of software product managers, and why embedding them in a software team is valuable. To do this, we collected survey responses from 59 software product managers and 63 software engineers, with responses from at least 24 companies, to identify the topics, skills, and abilities that software product managers find important for the role and the value they provide to software teams. Our results reveal that a software product manager’s value stems from their ability to provide the team with direction and a plan, give context for decision-making, and effectively communicate across stakeholders. To support this, someone new to the role must have competencies in technical and non-technical areas. A software product manager must excel at interpersonal communication, understanding the technical atmosphere, and deriving product sense from a vision and strategy. This paper provides the groundwork for future software product management curricula by identifying 21 key competencies and 10 factors to describe the role’s value in software teams.