Great article – as a Product Manager in an AI startup, I can really relate to it.
Early on, I struggled with the blurred lines between product and project management, especially since so much landed on my plate – from recruitment and setting up the office to accounting, project management, and overseeing two products. I was a one-woman army, and as you mentioned, there are limits to what one person can handle!
Another challenge was working with the CEO, who initially tried to impose processes from non-tech industries. Taking full responsibility for the processes in our startup has shown me how essential autonomy and mutual trust are. Without them, it’s nearly impossible to build something sustainable.
Now that things have stabilized, I’m finally experiencing a better balance between product and project management tasks. I can focus on refining the product and leading the team in the right strategic direction. It’s such a relief but also a reminder of how important it is to set boundaries – because while we can do a lot, we can’t do everything at once!
That balance, of “great craftspeople that have a process, but are willing to adapt.” Is quite rare in me experience :)
I’ve worked with 8 Product Managers so far in my career, and only 1 was both. Most common are very process oriented, but some are too creative and not in the weeds.
As an engineering managers, I’m willing to take some of the ‘project management’ burden, but I always struggle to draw the line at the right place.
100%. Like all roles, A-players are rare. And A-player product managers are both craftspeople and process oriented.
I lean towards "in the weeds" versus not, with the hope that I can unshackle PMs to be more creativity + strategic versus going the other way around, b/c they have to LOVE the weeds. And I think many PMs are capable of the creative + strategic stuff, they're just used to be pushed into the process and weeds, so that part of them dies a bit...
"You might realize you’ve given someone 3 jobs to complete"
If you have engineers who are even a little bit product-minded, sticking them with a "PM" who is really a glorified JIRA ticket mover is also a great way to kill motivation. Not only do they have their day jobs, they're also doing the product work (because someone has to) and failing to be rewarded for it - while having to watch someone else prance around in product-face.
Bright side being that if you're lucky enough to have engineers who are product-minded, you can probably get away with not having PMs at all.
Great article – as a Product Manager in an AI startup, I can really relate to it.
Early on, I struggled with the blurred lines between product and project management, especially since so much landed on my plate – from recruitment and setting up the office to accounting, project management, and overseeing two products. I was a one-woman army, and as you mentioned, there are limits to what one person can handle!
Another challenge was working with the CEO, who initially tried to impose processes from non-tech industries. Taking full responsibility for the processes in our startup has shown me how essential autonomy and mutual trust are. Without them, it’s nearly impossible to build something sustainable.
Now that things have stabilized, I’m finally experiencing a better balance between product and project management tasks. I can focus on refining the product and leading the team in the right strategic direction. It’s such a relief but also a reminder of how important it is to set boundaries – because while we can do a lot, we can’t do everything at once!
I'm glad you were able to figure it out!
Separately, I'm running a survey on Product Roadmaps - https://highline-beta.typeform.com/to/Sd0Th1zC - feel free to fill it out and share with others. Thanks!
That balance, of “great craftspeople that have a process, but are willing to adapt.” Is quite rare in me experience :)
I’ve worked with 8 Product Managers so far in my career, and only 1 was both. Most common are very process oriented, but some are too creative and not in the weeds.
As an engineering managers, I’m willing to take some of the ‘project management’ burden, but I always struggle to draw the line at the right place.
100%. Like all roles, A-players are rare. And A-player product managers are both craftspeople and process oriented.
I lean towards "in the weeds" versus not, with the hope that I can unshackle PMs to be more creativity + strategic versus going the other way around, b/c they have to LOVE the weeds. And I think many PMs are capable of the creative + strategic stuff, they're just used to be pushed into the process and weeds, so that part of them dies a bit...
"You might realize you’ve given someone 3 jobs to complete"
If you have engineers who are even a little bit product-minded, sticking them with a "PM" who is really a glorified JIRA ticket mover is also a great way to kill motivation. Not only do they have their day jobs, they're also doing the product work (because someone has to) and failing to be rewarded for it - while having to watch someone else prance around in product-face.
Bright side being that if you're lucky enough to have engineers who are product-minded, you can probably get away with not having PMs at all.