product.guru

“Wait… So What Exactly Do You Do?” – The PM Role, Demystified
I still remember the puzzled look on my cousin’s face when I told him I was a Product Manager.
“So… you build apps?”
“Kind of.”
“Like, you code them?”
“No.”
“Then… what do you do?”
That question never gets old. Even inside tech companies, the PM role is often misunderstood. You’re not a designer, you don’t write code, and you’re definitely not the boss. And yet, you’re somehow expected to make things happen. Sounds vague? Welcome to product management.
Let’s bust some myths—and tell the real story.

Myth #1: You’re the “CEO of the Product”
This one sounds flattering, right? But here’s what happens when a new PM takes this too literally: they walk into sprint planning thinking they get to make all the decisions. They soon find out that engineers have opinions (strong ones), designers want user research to back every move, and marketing wants the feature six weeks earlier.
Reality check: You’re not the CEO. You’re more like the glue—holding the vision, people, and priorities together. You lead with influence, not authority.
The real magic? It’s when you get diverse minds aligned without being the loudest voice in the room.

Myth #2: You Write Specs All Day
True story: my first week as a PM, I thought my job was to write the perfect PRD (Product Requirement Document). I spent three days on formatting, bullet points, and diagrams. By the time I shared it, half the team had already moved on to new assumptions.
Lesson learned: Specs matter, but they’re not the job. What matters more is clarity of thought—are we solving the right problem? Is this the best way to solve it?
Writing is just how we communicate. The thinking comes first.

Myth #3: You Have All the Answers
At some point, a developer will turn to you and ask, “Should we go with A or B?”
You might panic. You don’t want to look indecisive. But you also don’t know yet.
It took me a while to realize—it’s okay to say:
“I don’t know. Let’s test both.”
Great PMs aren’t answer machines. They’re question machines. They spark the right conversations, run the right experiments, and bring the team to the answer together.

Myth #4: You Just Prioritize Features
Early in my career, I thought I was doing great because I maintained a shiny roadmap. But then a customer churned. Then another. And I realized—I wasn’t solving for outcomes. I was just ticking boxes.
What changed everything? I stopped asking “What should we build next?”
And started asking: “What’s the biggest problem we need to solve?”
That’s when I began tracking metrics—like retention, NPS, or funnel drop-offs—and tying them back to our product decisions. The goal isn’t to ship features. It’s to move the needle.

Myth #5: You’re the Voice of the Customer
You definitely advocate for users. But you also juggle business goals, engineering constraints, sales commitments, legal landmines, and timelines that move like quicksand.
Being a PM often feels like being the referee—listening to everyone, making tough calls, and sometimes saying “no” even when everyone wants a “yes.”
The real job is balancing priorities while keeping your empathy hat on.

So… What Do PMs Actually Do?
Here’s how I explain it now:
“Imagine a problem no one has solved well yet. My job is to deeply understand that problem, gather a team that can solve it, and guide the process until we’ve built something people actually want—and use—and maybe even love.”
It’s not flashy. But when a customer tells you your product made their life better?
That moment—makes all the chaos worth it.

Final Thoughts
Product management isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about being the most curious, the most empathetic, and the most committed to clarity—especially when things are foggy.
So, next time someone asks what you do, just smile and say:
“I turn ambiguity into impact.”
That usually gets their attentiontional teams.