How Many Products Can a PM Manage at Once?

How Many Products Can a PM Manage at Once?

If one Product Manager "owns" 5 products, none of them are truly led. In this episode, we discuss why "stretching" your PMs is quietly killing your impact, why spread-thin teams ship 30% slower, and the exact ratios you should use to allocate your team effectively. 📄 READ & SUBSCRIBE * Read the full article: Link to Article [https://open.substack.com/pub/trustedpm/p/how-many-products-can-a-pm-manage?r=6rzgqi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] * Subscribe to the Newsletter: trustedpm.substack.com [https://trustedpm.substack.com/] * The Efficiency Myth: You aren't being efficient by assigning 5 products to one person. You are ensuring none of them are truly led. * The Cost of Split Focus: When I had 100% focus on one product, we doubled users in 9 months. When I oversaw 12 products with split focus, we shipped 30% slower and made worse decisions. * The Golden Ratios: * New & Important: 1 PM for 1 Product. * Mature & Small: 1 PM for 2–3 Products. * Quarter-Critical: At least 50% of a PM's time. * Wishful Thinking: Anything outside these ratios isn't "stretching people"—it's wishful thinking. * Fuel vs. Loyalty: Treat a Product Manager's focus like runway fuel, not a test of their loyalty. * Marty Cagan: How Many Product Managers Do You Need? [https://www.svpg.com/] * Lenny Rachitsky: What Makes a Great Product Manager [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/] * Lenny Rachitsky: How to Structure a Product Team [https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/]

Why I Still Micromanage Sometimes

Micromanagement is the most hated word in leadership. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, it works. In this episode, I share how "trusting the process" stalled a project for six months, and how stepping in to micromanage helped us ship in just four weeks. 📄 READ THE FULL ARTICLE ⁠Stop Chasing Every New Tool⁠ [https://open.substack.com/pub/trustedpm/p/why-i-still-micromanage-sometimes?r=6rzgqi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] 📬 SUBSCRIBE TO THE "Trust Me, I'm a PM" NEWSLETTER ⁠trustedpm.substack.com [https://trustedpm.substack.com/] Key Takeaways * The Reality Check: I watched a mobile app crawl for 6 months under "supportive coaching." Once I snapped and started micromanaging, we shipped in 4 weeks. * The "Burst" Strategy: Micromanagement shouldn't be a lifestyle, but it is a necessary tool for short bursts—specifically for inexperienced teams, high-risk projects, or when things are on fire. * Plan Your Exit: The difference between a toxic boss and a helpful leader is the exit plan. You must have a path from tight control to daily check-ins, and finally to weekly autonomy. * The Golden Rule: Being hands-on isn’t toxic. Being hands-on forever is.

Stop Chasing Every Shiny New Tool

Do you feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of new productivity apps and software? You’re not crazy—you are living through "tool inflation." In this episode, we discuss why knowing 100 tools doesn’t make you a better PM, engineer, or founder, and why a boring stack might actually be your competitive advantage. 📄 READ THE FULL ARTICLE Stop Chasing Every New Tool [https://open.substack.com/pub/trustedpm/p/stop-chasing-every-new-tool?r=6rzgqi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] 📬 SUBSCRIBE TO THE "Trust Me, I'm a PM" NEWSLETTER trustedpm.substack.com [https://trustedpm.substack.com/] Key Takeaways * Tool Inflation is Real: The feeling of being overwhelmed by new tech is valid; constantly switching contexts slows you down. * Mastery Over Variety: Knowing 100 different tools often makes you slower, not better. A small, well-mastered stack usually beats a flashy, ever-changing one. * The "Boring" Solution is Often Best: In many cases, simply saying "do it in Excel" (or Sheets/Docs) is the most efficient, robust, and collaborative way forward. * Agile Alignment: This mindset returns to Agile’s core value: "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools." Tools should be enablers, not the drivers of your work. * Ask the Right Question: Stop asking "Is this tool cool?" and start asking "Does this tool unlock a step-change outcome for my team, right now?