Tips for Overcoming Product Management Challenges

𝗜𝗳 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆: 1. 𝗜’𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀. Shipping stuff is fun, but it’s not the job. The job is making good decisions about 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦. That means getting obsessed with the problem space - not the roadmap.     2. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 “𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀”—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Peter Drucker said the purpose of a business is to create (and keep) customers. Your job is to make sure the right problems get solved for the right people in a way that makes the business stronger. That’s the whole game.     3. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 “𝗪𝗵𝘆?” 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲. And not just once. Why do users need this? Why now? Why are we the right team to solve it? Why hasn’t this already been solved? Most of product strategy is hidden behind unanswered “why” questions.     4. 𝗜’𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝘆 “𝗡𝗼” 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻. Most feature requests aren’t actually what users 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 - they’re guesses at a solution to a problem they're suffering from. Part of the PM’s job is to protect the team from building the wrong good idea. “No” isn’t about being difficult—it’s how we say yes to what matters.     5. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿—𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿—𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Not just for exec reviews. In tickets. In hallway conversations. In 1:1s. Storytelling creates shared understanding, emotional alignment, and momentum. It’s a force multiplier for everything else.     6. 𝗜’𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁. PMs are notoriously bad at this. But no one else is going to remember what you did, or how hard it was, or how much better things got because of it. Write it down. Turn it into a story. Use it in interviews and reviews. Use it to remind yourself you’re actually good at this.     7. 𝗜’𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆” 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 “𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.” Running to every meeting and unblocking everyone feels productive—but it’s not the same as moving the needle. PMs get paid to focus, simplify, and create clarity. And sometimes the best thing you can do is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 do something.     8. 𝗜’𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Questions that shift conversations. – “Is this a product problem or a business model problem?” – “What would happen if we didn’t solve this at all?” – “Are we solving this for the customer, or for ourselves?” These are the questions that lead to real insight. Product management isn’t about making everyone happy. It’s about making the 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 successful—by helping customers succeed. That requires focus, judgment, curiosity, and the guts to say no when it counts. And the good news? You can start doing all of that today.

Principal Product Managers already know this. Every time you say "yes" to a feature, you are saying "no" to a thousand others. But here’s the real problem—most teams don’t realize what they’re saying no to. So they end up: ❌ Saying yes to executive requests instead of customer needs ❌ Filling the roadmap with noise instead of true business impact ❌ Shipping features that check a feature parity box, not create a competitive advantage Saying no isn’t the hard part. Saying no intentionally is. I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I thought I needed to produce by executing. -> So when an executive requested a feature, I said yes. -> When customers asked for enhancements, I said yes. -> When the roadmap had space, I filled it. And for a while, it felt like we were winning. We were getting things done. But there wasn't impact. ❌ Customers were overwhelmed—the product was getting cluttered. ❌ Engineers were stretched thin—delivering, but not innovating. ❌ Our competitive edge was fading—we were keeping up, not leading. That’s when I realized: Every time you say "yes" to a feature, you're saying "no" to a thousand others. Here's how to avoid my mistake and how to become a better product manager. 🚀 Tie every decision to strategy Every feature request should pass the "Vision Filter": Does this make the product fundamentally stronger? If not, it’s a distraction. A simple way to check: If this didn’t exist, would our core users still love the product? When leadership or customers push for a new feature, ask: -> "How does this align with our strategic goals?" -> "What problem does this solve better than anything else?" -> "Would we prioritize this if a competitor didn’t have it?" 💡 Pro tip: Keep a "Not Now" list—a backlog of good ideas that don’t fit today’s strategy. This keeps discussions productive without derailing focus. ⏳ Measure trade-offs beyond effort A “quick” feature is never quick. And never free—it costs engineering time, product complexity, long-term maintenance debt Instead of asking "How long will this take?", ask: -> "What ELSE could we build with the same resources?" -> "Will this add future maintenance burden?" -> "Will customers even care about this?" 💡 Pro tip: Before greenlighting a feature, ask the team: "If we build this today, what are we committing to maintaining for the next two years?" If that answer makes you hesitate, rethink the priority. 📊 Optimize for Long-Term Impact Not all features are created equal. The best ones don’t just check a box—they create lasting value. Before saying yes, ask: -> "Will this feature still matter in a year?" -> Does it open new revenue opportunities or expand our market? -> Will it strengthen our competitive edge, not just match the market? 💡 Pro tip: The best products prioritize driving customer value over just adding features. --- 👋 I'm Ron Yang, a product leader and advisor. Follow me for insights on product leadership and building better products.

It’s easy as a PM to only focus on the upside. But you'll notice: more experienced PMs actually spend more time on the downside. The reason is simple: the more time you’ve spent in Product Management, the more times you’ve been burned. The team releases “the” feature that was supposed to change everything for the product - and everything remains the same. When you reach this stage, product management becomes less about figuring out what new feature could deliver great value, and more about de-risking the choices you have made to deliver the needed impact. -- To do this systematically, I recommend considering Marty Cagan's classical 4 Risks. 𝟭. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 Remember Juicero? They built a $400 Wi-Fi-enabled juicer, only to discover that their value proposition wasn’t compelling. Customers could just as easily squeeze the juice packs with their hands. A hard lesson in value risk. Value Risk asks whether customers care enough to open their wallets or devote their time. It’s the soul of your product. If you can’t be match how much they value their money or time, you’re toast. 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀 Usability Risk isn't about if customers find value; it's about whether they can even get to that value. Can they navigate your product without wanting to throw their device out the window? Google Glass failed not because of value but usability. People didn’t want to wear something perceived as geeky, or that invaded privacy. Google Glass was a usability nightmare that never got its day in the sun. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 Feasibility Risk takes a different angle. It's not about the market or the user; it's about you. Can you and your team actually build what you’ve dreamed up? Theranos promised the moon but couldn't deliver. It claimed its technology could run extensive tests with a single drop of blood. The reality? It was scientifically impossible with their tech. They ignored feasibility risk and paid the price. 𝟰. 𝗩𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗗𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 (Business) Viability Risk is the "grandmaster" of risks. It asks: Does this product make sense within the broader context of your business? Take Kodak for example. They actually invented the digital camera but failed to adapt their business model to this disruptive technology. They held back due to fear it would cannibalize their film business. -- This systematic approach is the best way I have found to help de-risk big launches. How do you like to de-risk?

I've managed 5 high-performing product marketing teams at startups and public companies, and there are 2 commonalities I've noticed at each: 1) it's easy for PMMs to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks on their plates, and 2) teams are rarely recognized for their true effort or impact by upper management. That's why I want to share my prioritization matrix 👇 It’s been a game-changer in how my teams approach projects and focus on what truly drives results. I’m curious—does this framework resonate with your approach to prioritizing tasks? Here's the concept: Rack up the wins by focusing on projects that offer high visibility and impact for lower effort and avoid those that drain your energy and don’t align with company goals. (Note: you could replace visibility with impact on this scale, but it's important that what you're working on is actually on the radar of those in upper management). Here’s how to prioritize: Quick Wins: These are the golden opportunities! High visibility, low difficulty — they bring great returns with minimal effort. Look for ways to get a few of these in your quarter. Strategic Initiatives: Aim for ONE strategic initiative per quarter. These are high-visibility, high-difficulty tasks that are aligned with your long-term goals. Go deep, plan ahead, and focus on the impact. You will be the most proud of these, but you need to be realistic about them. Routine Tasks: You’ve got to keep up with these, but don't let them consume too much of your time. Find a system to manage them efficiently. Avoid: Stay clear of high-difficulty, low-visibility tasks. These projects often don't yield the results you need, and they’re energy-draining. They don't align with your values or long-term success. 💡 Action Step: Review your current or upcoming projects. Classify them into high or low reward, and high or low effort. What projects are you spending too much time on that aren’t worth the effort? Time to realign and focus on what truly matters! #Productivity #TimeManagement #Prioritization #WorkSmart #StrategicFocus #CareerGrowth #Leadership How do you manage your / your team’s workload?

One hard-earned lesson exposed my biggest blind spot and made me a 50x better product manager. (Add this to your bookmarks!) When I moved from a global enterprise to a hypergrowth startup, I thought I was crushing it. - Perfectly groomed backlog - Launching features - Happy engineering team Then my CEO asked me, "Why are we shipping features faster but growing slower than last quarter?" The realization hit me like a truck (It was painful to admit it, but I had to) — I wasn't leading a product. I was just project managing it really well. 😕 The uncomfortable truth is most PMs don't realize the difference between project VS product thinking. ► Project Mind: "How do we build this efficiently?" ★ Product Mind: "Should we build this at all?" ► Project Mind: "We need better user onboarding" ★ Product Mind: "We're losing $80K/week in dropped enterprise deals - what's the fastest way to fix that specific leak?" ► Project Mind: "Let's improve our API documentation" ★ Product Mind: "Our top 5 customers spent $160K each building workarounds - there's hidden gold in understanding why." It feels safer to: - Focus on delivery metrics - Celebrate feature launches Because these are measurable, right? But here's what you need to know 👉 Your perfectly managed project timeline might be efficiently delivering the wrong things. Next time, when reviewing your roadmap, do ask: "Am I solving for delivery or for impact?" It makes a whole lotta' difference. It's okay to ship slower when your business is moving faster. ——— 🔔 Follow me, Bosky Mukherjee, for more insights on breaking barriers for women in product and tech leadership. #productmanagement #productgrowth #womeninproduct #leadership