What are the biggest frustrations you have as a product manager?

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7 Answers

Product Management Career Path

Rodrigo Davies

Figma Product, AI • 4y

I get frustrated whenever I hear business outcomes and customer outcomes described as two forces that are in tension, and that it’s necessary to choose between either building a fantastic product or having a fantastic business. It’s certainly possible to have a highly profitable business with a shoddy product, but I believe that the advantage that organizations gain by going that path is short term, and that eventually a poor product experience will erode trust and lead customers to move on to b ...Read More

5,639 Views
Natalia Baryshnikova

Atlassian Head of Product, Enterprise Strategy and Planning • 4y

Being patient when I would like to be impatient. Product management is deeply humbling in that good things often take time. I like to say that I am "tactically impatient, strategically patient" - as in, obsess over small details and steps every day and treat them with urgency, but know that things take time to build, and big goals take time to achieve. But, being honest, this comes with a hidden frustration for me, an inherently impatient person :-)

1,246 Views
Nicolas Liatti

Adobe Senior Director of Product Management, 3D Category • 1y

Being a PM the only power you have comes from influence, you don't have authority on any of your peers.

So the biggest frustration is when you don't manage to influence people in the right direction, and cannot use any authority to change this: developers not executing in the right direction, marketing promoting the product not aligned, etc.

1,038 Views
Anton Kravchenko

Carta Sr. Director of Product Management | Formerly Salesforce, MuleSoft, Apple • 4y

My biggest frustration is that I let people down. Currently, I work with teams of 50+ people, which means I need to be available all the time. The more senior as a PM you become the more folks you need to work with. Time becomes the most valuable thing and I'm still learning how to manage it effectively.

1,442 Views
Milena Krasteva

Walmart Sr Director II, Product Management - Marketing Technology • 3y

One area of frustration is when everybody wants to play the role of product manager informally but very few have any formal training or experience in product management. This manifests as all kinds of well-meaning (and sometime not so benign) solutioning, which actually attempts to bypass the product management function, then leads to really suboptimal business outcomes. Often this happens due to misaligned incentives in other orgs (We're innovating!?). Good ideas can come from anywhere and the ...Read More

842 Views
Melissa Ushakov

GitLab Group Manager, Product Management • 3y

One very common frustration is not being able to make everyone happy. As a product manager, your job is to hear many perspectives, which may be at odds with each other, and you don't have infinite time or people to get everything done. It's so tempting to invest a little in many areas in an attempt to move them all forward. When PMs (myself included) feel this way, it's critical to remember that the most important thing a product manager can provide is focus and space to solve the problems that ...Read More

595 Views
Sheila Hara

Barracuda Networks Sr. Director, Product Management • 2y

As a Product Manager, a key frustration is the pace of progress; often, things don't move as swiftly as I'd like in response to evolving market trends. However, this challenge is also an opportunity. It allows me to use my influence to motivate and unify the team. This role as a 'pulling force' helps us navigate complexities and maintain our commitment to quality, despite the urgency to accelerate. Ultimately, this balancing act turns a potential frustration into a chance for leadership, teamwor ...Read More

412 Views