Whether you’re a leader or an engineer, you’ve seen your team juggle a dozen roles at once—balancing coding with project management, stakeholder meetings, and troubleshooting.
It’s a lot, and while they’re talented, that kind of multitasking can stretch even the best developers thin.
Imagine what could happen if your engineers had the space to focus purely on what they’re best at—writing incredible code—without being pulled in a hundred different directions.
That’s where a product manager comes into play. They’re the ones who take the lead on defining the scope, managing last-minute changes, and ensuring a clear, predictable workflow so your developers can concentrate on crafting top-notch software.
When I started software development, I took on every task, from discovery and stakeholder relationship management to system architecture and server administration. I managed product development, graphic design, quality assurance, user training, and documentation, all while coordinating with third-party vendors and handling integrations. Balancing such a broad range of responsibilities was daunting and draining. This approach led to stress, slowed my growth, and sometimes caused me to over-promise and under-deliver.
As I progressed in my career and began to specialize in what I truly enjoyed—coding—I discovered that having a dedicated product manager enabled me to focus on building my code-slinging superpowers and solve problems in ways I never could have imagined when doing it all myself. No more scope creep or unexpected pivots—just a clear, predictable workflow where the team can truly shine.
When you bring in a product manager, you’re not just adding another role—you’re unlocking the potential of your entire team. With someone else handling the roadmap, your engineers can dive deeper into their work, solve problems more creatively, and deliver software that not only meets deadlines but exceeds expectations. It’s about building a team that’s not just good, but exceptional.
Boundary crossers: the connectors of the organization
As an engineer, it’s easy to get locked into the world of code—heads down, solving problems, writing tests, and shipping features. But in a functioning software development team, there's a role that’s always navigating the boundaries we might hesitate to cross. The product manager is constantly weaving in and out of interactions with engineers from different teams, collaborating with designers, hashing out acceptance criteria with QA, and syncing with management and other stakeholders. As a result, they hold a holistic view of the entire product and the various forces shaping it.
Imagine you're deep into a sprint, working on a feature that your team knows will make a significant impact. But suddenly, another team requests a change that could throw a wrench into your carefully laid plans. Or, you’re struggling to get feedback from a key stakeholder who’s always tied up in meetings. This is where the product manager steps in—bridging these gaps, resolving conflicts, and ensuring that the flow of work continues uninterrupted.
But the PM doesn’t just operate within the confines of your team. They interact across the organization, communicating with different departments and hierarchical levels. Whether it's getting buy-in from upper management, aligning with marketing on a launch strategy, or ensuring that the legal team is looped in early for compliance checks, the PM is there, making sure nothing slips through the cracks.
By participating in a broader cross-section of the organization, the product manager is exposed to many different product initiatives. They’re not just focused on the here and now; they’re constantly gathering information, identifying dependencies, and spotting potential roadblocks that others might miss. In many ways, they’re the glue that holds everything together, making sure that every piece of the puzzle fits together just right.
The product visionaries: keeping the big picture in focus
In my experience working with different clients, there was one particular product manager, Chris, who exemplified the role of a visionary. Chris was the person who kept the big picture in focus, ensuring that all engineering efforts aligned with the broader product strategy. While engineers were deep in the weeds of building new features, Chris was already considering how those features would impact the overall product, other teams, and the business as a whole.
Chris's ability to understand the business value of each initiative made him invaluable. He was responsible for building roadmaps that balanced immediate goals with long-term objectives, always advocating for the right mix of progress and maintenance, balancing the repayment of technical debt against the trade-offs of the status quo.
Without Chris’s big-picture perspective, it would have been easy for the team to lose sight of what truly mattered. His guidance ensured that the products we built were not only functional but also delivered real value to the business and its users.
The engineers' shield: clearing the path for success
Chris was also exceptional at clearing the path for the engineering team to succeed. He didn’t just respond to problems; he anticipated them and took steps to prevent them from derailing the project.
Chris attended meetings that didn’t require technical input but were crucial to the success of the engineering work. He made important decisions that impacted the project’s trajectory, such as choosing to defer a feature when it turned out to be more complex than initially expected.
Moreover, Chris was closely involved with stakeholders and customers, translating their needs into actionable features. His intuition for estimating task complexity set realistic expectations, and his proactive communication ensured that the engineering team had all the support they needed.
Most importantly, Chris wasn’t afraid to delve into technical details with engineers to make informed decisions, making him an indispensable shield for the engineering team.
Protectors of time: guarding against unreasonable deadlines
In software development, time is one of the most precious resources, and Chris was a master at protecting the engineering team from unreasonable deadlines. He took the lead in planning work in detail 6-12 months or more in advance to ensure that the team wasn’t rushed into delivering features before they were ready. He created and helped refine stories, issues, and tickets that were actionable and well-defined, always ensuring that the order of delivery made sense for the product.
Chris had a deep understanding of where technical challenges and product requirements intersected. He never pressured the team to build faster than they had proven they could manage. Instead, he focused on one or two key priorities for an entire quarter, avoiding the pitfalls of having too many shifting priorities.
By doing this, Chris safeguarded the team’s ability to deliver high-quality work at a sustainable pace. His strategic planning and realistic expectations were key to maintaining a low-stress, productive work environment where the team could thrive.
Champions of engineering: showcasing the team's success
It’s one thing to build great features; it’s another to make sure that the rest of the organization knows about them.
That’s where the product manager shines as the team’s biggest advocate. They showcase the work engineers do, presenting the team’s results to other teams, management, or the entire product organization.
Imagine this: You’ve just wrapped up a challenging sprint, and the team has hit a major milestone. It’s the PM who steps up to highlight these accomplishments, whether it’s through public async announcements in email or chat, or by speaking about the team’s work during sprint reviews, quarterly planning, or all-hands meetings. They make sure that everyone knows what the team has achieved, why it matters, and how it fits into the bigger picture.
This kind of recognition isn’t just about giving the team a pat on the back (though that’s important too). It’s about ensuring that the organization understands the value the engineering team is delivering. Having the PM tag your name and your teammates' names in a post celebrating a milestone feature and watching the emojis and congratulatory messages roll in from across the organization not only boosts team morale but also builds trust and confidence throughout the company, marking a successful conclusion to your effort.
Problem solvers: the troubleshooters at multiple levels
In the fast-paced world of software development, problems are inevitable. Whether it’s a technical challenge, a communication breakdown, or a sudden shift in priorities, the product manager is often the first person to step in and help solve these issues.
Consider a few common scenarios:
- You’re not getting a response from a key stakeholder, and it’s holding up your work.
- Or maybe the team is realizing that a new technology is needed to solve a particular problem, but the decision-making process is getting bogged down.
- Or perhaps another team is asking you to do work in your repository related to their initiative, and it’s causing friction.
In each of these cases, the PM is there to navigate the situation. They might follow up with the stakeholder, facilitate a discussion about the new technology, or mediate between teams to ensure that everyone’s needs are met.
Their goal is to remove obstacles so that engineers can focus on what they do best: writing code and solving technical problems.
The single source of truth: quick answers to unanticipated questions
No matter how well you plan, there will always be questions that come up during development that no one anticipated. When those moments arise, the product manager often becomes the single source of truth—the person who can provide quick answers and keep the project moving forward.
Whether it’s a question about what should happen in a specific scenario or a clarification on a product requirement, the PM is the go-to person for resolving these issues. Their deep understanding of the product, the roadmap, and the organization’s goals allows them to make decisions quickly and confidently, reducing delays and keeping the team on track.
Agile enthusiasts: participating in ceremonies and building solutions
In an agile development environment, the product manager is a key participant in ceremonies like stand-ups, refinement sessions, and sprint reviews. But they’re not just passive participants—they’re actively helping to build solutions that address both technical and product requirements.
By understanding the technical options presented by engineers, the PM helps define and prioritize those options in a way that balances risks and tradeoffs. They ensure that the solutions being built align with the overall product strategy and that the team is working on the most important tasks at any given time.
This collaboration between the PM and the engineering team is crucial for building products that not only work but also meet the needs of the business and its users.
The legacy keepers: Showcasing hidden gems
Finally, let’s talk about one of the more unsung aspects of the product manager’s role: their ability to dig into the depths of a product’s history and uncover valuable, often forgotten features.
Take, for example, a product manager like Samantha, who was tasked with understanding an enormous body of legacy code that nobody fully knew how it worked.
Sam didn’t shy away from the challenge. Instead, she interviewed engineers who each understood different facets of the codebase, took excellent notes, and asked great questions. Over time, Sam pieced together a high-level understanding of how the system worked, documenting it thoroughly and presenting that information to the organization.
This effort didn’t just prevent existing features from being made obsolete or wasted—it also provided a solid foundation for new feature development. By showcasing the product’s hidden gems, Sam ensured that the team could build on a strong, well-understood base, leading to more informed decisions and more effective development.
Conclusion: The invisible hand behind every successful product
Looking back on my experiences, I can’t overstate how crucial a great product manager is to a successful software team. They’re the ones making sure that all the moving parts work seamlessly together—balancing scope, navigating challenges, and keeping everyone aligned with the bigger picture.
With a skilled PM on your team, the stress of last-minute changes and miscommunications fades away, allowing you to focus on what you do best: building awesome software.
So, next time you hit a milestone or overcome a tough challenge, take a moment to appreciate the PM who made it all possible. Their work might not always be in the spotlight, but it’s their dedication and skill that helps turn ideas into reality.
