Aaron Bloom

I use a simple framework for critical thinking and problem-solving: Define the problem: Break it down into a clear need statement. Understand dependencies, time sensitivity, and what you’re solving for. Once you really understand the problem, you should be able to explain it to somebody uninformed easily and in simple terms.  Prioritize: Evaluate its importance against your other work based on impact and opportunity size. Ideate solutions: Focus on options that balance impact and effort. The bes ...Read More

A key responsibility of the Product Manager is to align cross-functional teams around the problem statement, business need, and OKRs. When everyone understands the "why" behind the roadmap, it generates alignment on decision making and accelerates meaningful outcomes.Building trust-based partnerships between product, engineering, and design is critical. When each function can confidently represent its domain, without being overly influenced by politics and second guessing, it drives strong colla ...Read More

Once I've gathered and documented a summary of user insights, market and competitive context, and product requirements, I focus on mapping out the key user workflows. This helps clarify what the product needs to do and frames the conversation with design around function and flow.If the product is part of an existing platform, I reference similar internal patterns or flows to maintain consistency. It also gives us a concrete starting point, rather than beginning from scratch.Before jumping into f ...Read More

AI features should be evaluated using the same prioritization frameworks that your organization would apply to any other product initiative. This ensures that potential roadmap items are compared on equal terms and that investments are directed toward the initiatives that deliver the most value to customers and the business.That said, given the current market emphasis on AI, these features may carry outsized marketing or strategic value, which can increase their perceived impact or opportunity s ...Read More

I haven't found a universal formula for the right PM : Engineering ratio. I’ve worked with everything from one developer to much larger teams - both can be effective in the right situation.What matters more is whether the team is structured to work efficiently. Here are a few things I look at when thinking about efficiency: Priority and scope: If a feature is critical or time-sensitive, a larger team may help accelerate delivery. But if it's a smaller or more contained feature (e.g. a single new ...Read More

To expand your critical thinking, stay curious, and ask lots of questions. Early on you might need to focus on your specific area or role to ensure you are driving value for it - go deep so that you are a true expert on it. As you build  expertise in that area, look at other areas of the product and overall business / strategy.  The more you learn, the better you’ll be at connecting ideas, problems, and solutions across the product and organization.  As you do this, be intentional about defining ...Read More

If we were discussing this live, I’d first ask what exactly are you pushing back on, and why? The context matters. Like any feedback, input should be evaluated based on its quality and relevance, not just who it comes from.Start by clearly defining your target user segments. Once that's established, you can assess how closely your engineering team aligns with that profile.For example, if you're building a SaaS product for enterprise SaaS engineers, then there’s strong overlap. In that case, you’ ...Read More

Engineers should have a strong voice in both sprint and strategic planning. The key is creating the right environment for structured input, not handing over decision-making.PMs must first align the team on the business and customer needs behind the roadmap.Engineers should then weigh in on feasibility, design, and alternate approaches - they often see system-level efficiencies the PM may not have perspective on.Roadmaps also carry hidden costs like tech debt and test automation. If there’s no sp ...Read More

QA testing is a minimum requirement for every story - shipping untested features leads to compounding quality issues that are harder to untangle later, which will slow down overall velocity. On small teams, it’s critical to clearly define roles, including who owns QA. This ensures coverage regardless of function or team size.PMs should be involved in QA to validate the end-to-end user experience, and that requirements have been met. In smaller or earlier stage teams, QA becomes a cross-functiona ...Read More

Like anything in technology, iteration is key. There are constantly new tools, apps, and best practices coming out to help your productivity -  so you need to stay agile to continuously improve your own system.  That being said, it's easy to get overwhelmed and overcomplicate your workflow. Having a baseline system that you fall back on can ensure nothing falls between the cracks.  For me that is using a repeatable framework in how I approach problems, and managing a surprisingly simple and unst ...Read More