Welcome to No BS Product Management, your weekly guide to mastering the product management journey—from breaking into the role to crushing it as an APM.
Each week, I share no-nonsense advice, practical tips, and real-world strategies to help you handle tricky scenarios, impress your stakeholders, and level up your PM game.
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You’ve just spent weeks—no, months—gathering data, analyzing customer feedback, and refining the roadmap. You’re finally feeling good about the direction. The strategy is solid, backed by numbers, user insights, and a healthy dose of gut feeling (the good kind, not the one that makes you second-guess every decision).
And then it happens. The meeting starts, and there it is.
“Hey PM, I’ve been thinking…”
You freeze. This is never good.
“What if we just scrap all of that and do this instead?”
Oh. My. God. No.
The idea? Totally ungrounded in reality, maybe even impossible, but delivered with the kind of confidence only a designer/developer/EM/PM-wannabe could have. And suddenly, your beautifully curated roadmap is being picked apart by someone who hasn’t looked at a single user interview or even glanced at your data. Classic.
Here’s the thing: We want the team to feel involved. We want their feedback, their ideas. But when their "great ideas" start derailing months of work in one sentence, it’s hard not to want to scream into your coffee cup.
But hold on. There’s a way to manage this chaos and still look like the PM in charge. Here’s how to stay sane while keeping your roadmap intact.
1. Nod and Smile—But You’re Not Saying Yes
You know that face you make when someone suggests their latest brilliant idea? The one where you nod but your brain is screaming, “NOPE.” That’s your first move. Acknowledge their “insight” but don’t jump into a yes-or-no debate.
“Interesting idea, let’s circle back to it once we’ve realigned on our bigger priorities.”
You’ve given them the “attention” they crave without allowing the idea to hijack your meeting. You’re still the one in control—for now.
2. Bring Out the Data (It’s Your Secret Weapon)
You’ve got the data. They’ve got nothing but their gut feeling. This is where you remind them why you’re the PM and they’re not.
“Totally get where you’re coming from, but here’s the problem: based on our customer feedback and data, this approach solves the problem. What you’re suggesting isn’t aligned with our users' needs right now.”
Let them see that you’re not just throwing darts in the dark—there’s a reason behind the madness. And that reason is data.
3. Redirect to the Bigger Picture—Or Watch the Ship Sink
Every PM’s nightmare? Getting bogged down in feature-level conversations instead of focusing on the bigger business goals. So, when the ideas start flying, you need to remind the team why they’re there.
“Sure, that’s an interesting feature, but remember—we’re aiming to increase engagement this quarter. The other idea just doesn’t fit with where we need to go right now.”
It’s like a GPS for the product roadmap: this way to business success, that way to “cool features” that no one asked for.
4. Stand Your Ground—Because You’re the PM
Let’s be real: you’ve done the work. You’ve crafted a vision. And some well-meaning, but misplaced idea is not going to throw you off course.
When someone challenges your plan, stand firm. “I hear you. I really do. But here’s why this is the right move.”
Don’t let anyone else’s enthusiasm make you second-guess yourself. You’re the one who’s been looking at this for weeks. You’re the one who knows what the users need—and they’ve only just discovered Jira.
5. Let Them Fail (But Be Ready to Say ‘I Told You So’)
Sometimes, letting someone run with their idea is the best way to prove your point—if the stakes are low enough.
Let them take the wheel. They want to try their “genius” feature? Sure. You can even say, “Go for it, but remember, we’re already on this path for a reason.” When it flops (and it will), you’ll get to quietly say, “This is why we stuck to the plan.”
Just be careful with this one. You don’t want to be the PM who lets the team make every mistake. It’s about finding that balance.
At the end of the day, you’re the PM because you know how to make tough calls. The team will always have great ideas—they’ll pitch them, they’ll challenge your decisions, and they’ll make you question your every move. But remember, your job isn’t to be liked, it’s to deliver a product that solves real problems.
You’ve got the data. You’ve got the strategy. The team has “ideas,” but you’re the one steering the ship. Don’t let anyone derail your product just because they’ve had a coffee-fueled eureka moment.
Stay calm. Stay firm. And keep your roadmap intact.