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Git and GitHub for Product People

Stop feeling lost in engineering conversations. Learn to read a repository, review a pull request and follow a change from branch to release, all in the GitHub web interface, with no terminal.

Keep at hand: Git cheat sheet for product people

Free15 lessons~8 h 29 min of learning

Start the course

  1. Module 1

    Git in plain words

    Why teams keep a full history of their project, what a repository and a commit are, and how to read that history on GitHub: messages, diffs and blame.

    1. 1.1Why teams keep history: version control without fearWhat version control is, how Git differs from GitHub, and why looking around a repository can't break anything.~24 min
    2. 1.2Repository and commits: reading a repo pageA GitHub repository page from top to bottom, what a single commit page tells you, and what makes a good commit message.~26 min
    3. 1.3Reading history: messages, diffs and blameHow to open a file's history, read a diff line by line and use blame to trace any line back to its commit, pull request and issue.~24 min
    Module examComplete 3 more lessons to unlock

  2. Module 2

    Branches and merges

    Branches as parallel versions of the project, the three ways GitHub merges them (merge commit, squash, rebase) and what a merge conflict is.

    1. 2.1Branches: parallel versions of the projectWhat a branch is, why work happens on short-lived branches next to main, and how to read branches on GitHub: the branch selector, ahead and behind, stale branches and graphs with several lanes.~32 min
    2. 2.2Merging: merge commit, squash and rebase on GitHubWhat merging does, the three options behind GitHub's merge button and what each leaves in the history, fast-forward in plain words, and how to check whether a change is really in main.~31 min
    3. 2.3Merge conflicts: why they happen and what to doWhy two branches can clash on the same line, what GitHub shows when they do, how to read conflict markers and resolve a simple conflict in the browser, and why choosing the right text is a product decision.~34 min
    Module examComplete 3 more lessons to unlock

  3. Module 3

    Pull requests

    A pull request tab by tab, reviewing one as a PM with comments, suggestions and approvals, and what every GitHub icon and colour means.

    1. 3.1Anatomy of a pull request: tabs, description, checksRead a pull request page top to bottom: base and compare branches, draft and ready, the four tabs, the description, reviewers and labels, linked issues, checks and the merge box.~36 min
    2. 3.2Reviewing as a PM: comments, suggestions, approveWhat a product person checks in a pull request and what to leave to engineers, how to comment on a line, suggest exact wording, choose between Comment, Approve and Request changes, and write review comments people are glad to get.~39 min
    3. 3.3Icons and colours: what every state meansRead pull requests, issues, checks, reviews, labels and the merge box at a glance: what every GitHub icon and colour means, and how to tell states apart by shape and text, not colour alone.~43 min
    Module examComplete 3 more lessons to unlock

  4. Module 4

    Team workflows

    GitHub flow with small branches and fast merges, git flow with develop, release and hotfix branches, and how releases get tags, versions and changelogs.

    1. 4.1GitHub flow: small branches, fast mergesThe loop most product teams work in: branch from main, pull request, review and checks, merge, deploy. Why small, short-lived branches are safer, what "merged" and "deployed" mean, how feature flags let unfinished work ship hidden, and how to read a feature's progress from the pull request list.~35 min
    2. 4.2Git flow: develop, release and hotfix branchesThe release-oriented branching model: long-lived main and develop, feature, release and hotfix branches, and tags on main. When it fits (app store releases, several supported versions), why many web teams moved to GitHub flow or trunk-based development, and how to recognise each model from a branch list.~34 min
    3. 4.3Releases and versions: tags, SemVer, changelogsWhat a tag is, how to read a version number like v1.4.1 (SemVer in plain words), how GitHub Releases and generated release notes work, how to check whether a fix is in a version, and why merged, released and live for every user can be three different moments.~38 min
    Module examComplete 3 more lessons to unlock

  5. Module 5

    GitHub for product work

    Issues, labels and milestones, project boards that track a feature to release, and your first change in the browser, plus how to undo it.

    1. 5.1Issues, labels and milestones; linking PRs to issuesTurn a one-line request into issues the team can act on: bug reports with steps to reproduce, feature requests with acceptance criteria, templates, labels, assignees, sub-issues and a milestone with a due date. Plus how closing keywords and mentions link pull requests to issues, and what each issue state tells a PM.~39 min
    2. 5.2Project boards and tracking a feature to releaseGitHub Projects for product people: board, table and roadmap layouts, the status field and custom fields, built-in workflows that move cards, and how to follow a feature from issue to pull request, merge, release and feature flag. Why "Done" on a board doesn't always mean customers can use it, and what to show the CEO.~36 min
    3. 5.3Your first change in the browser, and how to undo itMake a small change entirely in the GitHub web UI: find the file, edit it, commit to a new branch because main is protected, open a pull request, pass checks and review, merge and deploy. Then undo a merged change with the Revert button, learn when to revert and when to fix forward, and what a PM should and shouldn't edit.~38 min
    Module examComplete 3 more lessons to unlock