Art of PMing

Once upon a time (Feb 2001, around 25 years ago), Agile manifesto arrived as the superhero in cape for software development: promising speed, adaptability, and a razor-sharp focus on what customers actually wanted. While Agile’s soul was anti-framework, yet, in the winding corridors of enterprises, marred by the fear of chaos, the fear of losing control, its cape have been snagged on the rigid hooks of frameworks like Scrum and SAFe, transforming Agile into what? a “veiled Waterfall” ? ...

Product Managers (PMs) used to treat AI like a distant, complex cousin – interesting if you were building the AI itself, but mostly irrelevant to the daily grind. Now, nearly every PM is wrestling with GenAI tools, and a surprising number are even trying to build their own. This isn’t just a trend; it’s a fundamental shift that’s re-engineering what it means to be a PM, all thanks to AI’s knack for demolishing the tedious, repetitive tasks that sucked the life out of our days. ...

The word ‘Strategy’ in the business world has become almost synonymous with ‘Religion’ in general. Everyone claims they have one, everyone says their one is the right one, but very few understand what it is and a lot keep defining it in the most complex and contradictory ways. One of our professors used to say, Strategy is the most used and least understood word in the business world. Just try to recall, how many times were you hurt to see this poor word, being beaten to death in those coveted meeting rooms. ...

You might already be aware of the widely discussed 2013 article On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant by David Graeber The major points (and why they are even more relevant in the age of AI are): Technological progress made it ==possible to reduce working hours== (as Keynes predicted), yet societies have not adopted it. Instead of freeing time, systems manufactured more jobs. When John Maynard Keynes Predicted a 15-Hour Workweek “in a Hundred Year’s Time” (1930) Productive and manual jobs have ==declined because of automation== (and now because of AI thats declining even faster), but white-collar bureaucratic and pseudo-service roles have exploded. Many workers privately believe ==their work has no real societal value==, creating psychological harm, resentment, and existential dissatisfaction. The system benefits from people staying busy, disciplined, and dependent. Idle citizens with free time are viewed as politically dangerous, so ==employment becomes a moral obligation.== Society perversely ==rewards low-value or exploitative roles more than essential ones== (nurses, teachers, sanitation workers). This fuels resentment against people with meaningful jobs, not meaningless ones. He later published a book on the same topic, and outlined 5 major types of BS jobs ...

Some Intro Think of it this way. You started working and earning in your early twenties. You were basking in the glory of the newfound financial freedom. You wanted more, and hence you toiled, you learned the industry, learned about business and consumers, and slowly you moved up the ladder, earning more and more. But there was something that kept building up - Taxes and EMIs, responsibilities, deteriorating health and relationships, creeping up depressions and anxieties. You didn’t pay much attention to it earlier and didn’t invest properly (in health, wealth and relationships). Now they have started hurting you. Though the ==influx of wealth has grown, you are not able to enjoy it like you used to do. You want to go out and party, roam the world, and live carefree like you used to do, but things keeps pulling you back.== ...

If Westeros taught us anything beyond political murder and dragons, it’s that strategy, storytelling, and ruthless clarity matter, especially when you’re shipping products instead of heirs. Lets check some direct, and maybe sometimes uncomfortable mappings from the iconic Game of Thrones lines to what a product manager actually does and shouldn’t do. “Chaos is a ladder.” - Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish GOT context: Littlefinger watches disorder and uses it as opportunity to climb. ...

TLDR; The above infographic from the blog output vs outcome vs impact by Christophe Achouiantz does a great job of explaining the three terms in one shot. That’s all there is (literally ☺️), but if you want to explore a bit more with examples, please read on and leave a comment. A Mandatory Introduction No matter how long you’re already working in product management you must have heard some “product leader” discussing: ...

Let’s be honest. As a product manager, your to-do list is already miles long, and finding time to read books might seem like a luxury you can’t afford. I get it. I’ve been there too. But before you dismiss the idea completely, let me share four books that have managed to change my perspective on product management and books in general. These aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill, generic recommendations at the CEO or founder level like “Lean Product”, “Hooked”, “Launch” or “Ship it”, No. these four books provide the kind of food for thought and actionable ideas that you can start thinking about, experimenting with, and implementing right away, regardless of the stage you are currently in your product management career. ...

The Evolution of Product Management: A Brief History A little Introduction Product management! The ever-evolving, always-changing job, that is crucial to the success of any product-based company. From its humble beginnings as a behind-the-scenes role to the tech industry’s poster child, product management has come a long way. In this post, we’ll try to take a deep dive into the evolution of product management. Product management might look like a BS job but not an easy job. It’s a lot like herding cats, but instead of cats, you’re trying to coordinate a group of developers, designers, and stakeholders to create a product that people will love. So, let’s take a look at how product management has evolved over the years. ...