Cursor for Product Managers

An interactive course teaching PMs how to use Cursor AI for daily product work

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🎯 What is This?

This is an interactive, hands-on course that teaches Product Managers how to use Cursor - an AI-powered IDE - for PM work like writing PRDs, analyzing user research, processing data, creating roadmaps, and more.

This is a PROOF OF CONCEPT currently containing only Module 1.1 (Welcome to TaskFlow) to validate the teaching mechanism.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

1. Cursor installed - Download from cursor.com
2. Cursor account (free or paid)
3. This course folder downloaded or cloned

How to Start

1. Open this folder in Cursor

   • Launch Cursor
   • File → Open Folder
   • Select the "Cursor for Product Managers" folder

2. Open Composer

   • Press Cmd+I (Mac) or Ctrl+I (Windows/Linux)
   • This opens Cursor's AI Composer mode

3. Start Module 1.1

   • In Composer, type: /start-1-1
   • Press Enter
   • Follow along as Claude guides you through the module!

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📚 Course Structure (Full Version - Coming Soon)

Current Status: POC (Module 1.1 Only)

This proof of concept includes:

• ✅ Module 1.1: Welcome to TaskFlow

Planned Future Modules:

Module 1: Cursor Fundamentals

• 1.2: Using Cursor's Interface (Chat, Cmd K, Composer)
• 1.3: @ Mentions and File Operations
• 1.4: First PM Tasks (meeting notes, research synthesis)
• More modules coming...

Module 2: Practical PM Skills

• Writing PRDs
• Analyzing data
• Planning features with Plan Mode
• More coming...

Module 3: Advanced Features

• Custom slash commands
• Project rules
• Parallel agents for research
• More coming...

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🏢 About TaskFlow (Your Learning Company)

Throughout this course, you'll work for TaskFlow - a fictional project management SaaS company.

What it is:

• Series B startup ($2.5M ARR, 10K users)
• "Asana meets Linear" for remote teams
• You're the Senior PM for activation & onboarding

Why this matters: Every exercise uses realistic PM documents from TaskFlow - PRDs, user research, competitive analysis, meeting notes. You're not learning in a vacuum; you're doing real PM work!

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🎓 How This Course Works

Interactive Teaching

Unlike traditional courses where you read and then try things:

1. Type a slash command (e.g., /start-1-1)
2. Claude becomes your instructor - guides you step-by-step
3. You practice immediately - hands-on exercises
4. Get feedback in real-time - Claude checks your understanding
5. Progress through modules - each builds on the last

Teaching Mechanism

This course uses Cursor's features to create an interactive learning experience:

• Slash commands (.cursor/commands/) trigger each module
• Teaching scripts (lesson-modules/X.X-name/SCRIPT.md) guide Claude on how to teach
• Project rules (.cursor/rules/) establish course context and instructor personality
• Pre-created files (company-context/) provide realistic PM documents

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📖 What You'll Learn

By the end of the course (when complete), you'll know how to use Cursor for:

• Documentation: Writing PRDs, user stories, roadmaps, feature specs
• Research: Analyzing user interviews, synthesizing feedback, competitive analysis
• Data: Processing surveys, analyzing metrics, building dashboards
• Communication: Creating stakeholder updates, exec summaries, team docs
• Planning: Sprint planning, roadmapping, feature prioritization
• Automation: Custom workflows, reusable templates, PM productivity systems

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🛠️ Course Architecture

File Structure

Cursor for Product Managers/
├── .cursor/
│   ├── rules/
│   │   ├── course-instructor.mdc      # Establishes teaching personality
│   │   └── taskflow-context.mdc       # Product context for all modules
│   └── commands/
│       └── start-1-1.md                # Slash command to start Module 1.1
├── company-context/
│   ├── COMPANY.md                      # TaskFlow company overview
│   ├── PRODUCT.md                      # Product details
│   ├── PERSONAS.md                     # User personas
│   └── COMPETITIVE.md                  # Competitive landscape
├── lesson-modules/
│   └── 1.1-welcome/
│       └── SCRIPT.md                   # Teaching script for Module 1.1
├── README.md                           # This file
└── CURSOR_RESEARCH_COMPREHENSIVE.md   # Research on Cursor features

How It Works

1. Project Rules (.cursor/rules/*.mdc) tell Cursor:

   • You're teaching a course (be an instructor, not just an assistant)
   • Follow teaching scripts exactly
   • Use TaskFlow context throughout

2. Slash Commands (.cursor/commands/*.md) trigger modules:

   • User types /start-1-1 in Composer
   • Command tells Cursor to read and follow the teaching script

3. Teaching Scripts (lesson-modules/*/SCRIPT.md) guide Claude:

   • Step-by-step lesson plan
   • What to say, when to wait for student, how to provide feedback
   • Structured like a teacher's lesson plan

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✅ POC Success Criteria

This proof of concept tests whether the teaching mechanism works in Cursor.

POC succeeds if:

• ✅ User can run /start-1-1 command
• ✅ Cursor reads the SCRIPT.md file
• ✅ Cursor acts as an instructor (follows script, waits for responses, provides encouragement)
• ✅ Teaching flow feels natural and guided
• ✅ Module completes with clear next steps

POC fails if:

• ❌ Cursor just displays script instead of following it as instructions
• ❌ Instructor personality doesn't come through
• ❌ Script adherence is weak or inconsistent

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🤔 Differences from Claude Code Course

This course is adapted from "Claude Code for Product Managers" with key changes for Cursor:

Advantages of Cursor:

• ✅ Visual interface (see files, not just terminal)
• ✅ Built-in file explorer
• ✅ @Docs integration (index company wikis, internal docs)
• ✅ Superior Plan Mode for structured planning
• ✅ Less intimidating for non-technical PMs

Differences:

• ⚠️ Limited parallel agents (8 max vs Claude Code's unlimited)
• ⚠️ Different context system (.cursor/rules vs CLAUDE.md hierarchy)
• ⚠️ Three workflows to learn (Chat, Cmd K, Composer vs one interface)

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🐛 Feedback & Issues

This is a proof of concept. Your feedback is invaluable!

If you encounter issues:

• Script not being followed correctly
• Confusing instructions
• Technical problems
• Suggestions for improvement

Please share your feedback to help improve the course!

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📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use and adapt!

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🙏 Credits

• Inspired by "Claude Code for Product Managers" course
• Built to test if interactive AI-taught courses work in Cursor
• TaskFlow is a fictional company created for learning purposes

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Ready to start? Open Composer (Cmd+I / Ctrl+I) and type /start-1-1