How to Say No as a PM: Advanced Tips

Here is a simple process for shipping software projects that works. First, decompose the project into a stream1 of headlines. Then pick an aggressive date to ship the first headline and work like hell to meet that date. Have everyone work only on one headline at a time– the upcoming one. Ignore everything else. Don’t work on anything that doesn’t h... See more

Some ways to build this habit:Say no. Or, “not yet.” Try using the phrase “ruthless prioritization” when prioritizing as a team, or saying no to an ask.Align with your team and your manager on a single prioritized source-of-truth roadmap. 

A PM that is good at nothing else but execution is valuable to a team, while a team with a PM that can’t execute is better off without that PM. Tactically this includes things like building a roadmap that everyone on your team is aligned behind, setting and hitting deadlines, and ruthlessly unblocking blockers. For new PMs, my advice is to begin pr... See more