How can I navigate a situation where I am frequently assigned project management tasks rather than product management responsibilities, and where there seems to be a lack of emphasis on product vision and impact-based product building?

I've seen this situation quite a bit and the single most effective way to drive change towards impact-based product building is bringing data to show the downsides of the current approach. I personally failed to drive change early in my career because I tried to debate the merits of different approaches without bringing evidence (only theory). Even if you are to operating in a project-focused way, there are things you can do to shine a light on a better way: Measure the impact of everything you ...Read More

It's hard form be to give specific advice to you without more context about your situation such as who is assigning these tasks to. Is this your manager? If yes, my first thought is, does your team / organization understand the value product managers bring? Is there a strong focus on product management craft? If the answer is no, then you have 2 options Try to build an understanding of the product management craft within your organization. This only works if you are sufficiently senior in the or ...Read More

Well, as always, it depends. I'd say first you have to diagnose the situation and understand the root causes. Why are they bringing you tasks rather than responsibilities? Why are they asking you to do tactical, very specific things as opposed to delivering outcomes? It could be that you just have a really inexperienced manager and executive team making these asks, in which case you probably need to decide whether you want to invest your time managing up and trying to get them to uplevel their a ...Read More

Product management is different at every organization and there are many organizations where it is more of a project management function. If your manager is assigning project management work - talk directly to them about it to understand their expectations of the role and share what you're interested in focusing on. Usually you can find a path forward that will allow you to do the higher impact work. If you can't, leave! There are other organizations that really value folks who can set a vision ...Read More

Unfortunately, this is more common than not. A solid understanding and ability to execute project management tasks is important in the overall role of a Product Manager given that part of the role is to ensure enhancements (value) are delivered to customers and the market, thereby increasing the value of your business. That means it's still critical to perform some responsibilities of project management. That being said, the most valuable responsibility of a Product Manager is to identify and pr ...Read More

This can be a challenging situation, which may have come about for several reasons such as where the organization may not value or understand the role of product management or may have had a previous experience that shifted the focus of the function to be more execution oriented. Here are some approaches that you might try: Clarify your role, responsibilities and goals.  Ideally you should meet with your manager at least once per week, and you can use this time to discuss your job description an ...Read More

It can be hard to tease apart the line between Product and Project Management - especially since the role of Product Management can vary greatly from team to team.  At the end of the day, you should measure your success by the impact you’re making to the business, and to your OKR’s, not the size or type of initiative you are working. .  If you feel that you aren’t making that impact for the business, do a retrospective to understand the root cause: Really evaluate the work you are producing and ...Read More

It is important to understand the product culture of a company. PM work is very often confused with project management (as you are experiencing). Your manager is the biggest lever in this scenario - define your goals clearly with your manager (typically companies follow an OKR based process for this). Goals should be business objectives and then actual tasks to accomplish the goals should be defined by you vs. someone assigning tasks to you. There will always be some part of project management i ...Read More

In situations where you're frequently assigned project management tasks instead of product management responsibilities, it's important to proactively address the issue: Communicate Clearly: Have a candid conversation with your manager about your role and the type of tasks you're being assigned. Express your desire to focus more on product management aspects, emphasizing your skills and interest in areas like product vision and impact-driven development. Define Roles and Expectations: Seek to cla ...Read More