Let’s get this out of the way first: product managers don’t suck.

The role sucks. It’s like being asked to be the quarterback, referee, waterboy, and halftime show all at the same time.

It’s brutally, unreasonably hard. Actually, I’d argue product management is one of the toughest jobs in tech.

Why? Because product managers are asked to do everything. They need to understand strategy, keep the team motivated, interpret data, balance stakeholder demands, and somehow keep the roadmap moving, all without direct authority over the people doing the work. Oi.

It’s no wonder so many PMs feel like they’re always behind.

But here’s the good news: With the right systems and tools, you can make it a lot more manageable.

Let’s break it down.

Why Product Managers Struggle

I’ve worked alongside dozens of PMs over the years, and the same themes come up again and again. Here’s what I’m hearing:

1. Progress is hard to measure

You know what’s so satisfying? Pressure washing my driveway. It’s a chore I don’t mind because I can look down and see the results of my work instantaneously. Unfortunately, product management is not like that. Developers can point to code. Designers can point to mockups. PMs? They’re managing movement, but there’s no clean metric that says, “yes, the product is on track.”

2. Inputs are scattered

Sales wants X, customers want Y, design wants Z, and engineering has a long list of technical debts nobody else understands. Pulling all that into a clear direction feels impossible.

3. Feedback is tricky

Even when you do get feedback, what do you do with it? Users contradict each other, sales screams urgency, and leadership has a vision that doesn’t match. Prioritizing without causing conflict is an art form. It’s the equivalent of trying to make plans over a group text. Lots of ideas are thrown around, nobody agrees, and somehow you end up booked for brunch and axe-throwing at the same time.

4. Data is elusive

You want usage numbers, adoption data, or sales trends, but they live in different systems. Worse, sometimes they don’t exist at all. You’re making high-stakes calls with blurry inputs. (Are you feeling anxious just reading this?)

5. People are people

You’re doing so much more than managing a product. You’re motivating humans! Keeping a team’s morale high, understanding their energy levels, and learning from retrospectives requires emotional intelligence most people don’t talk about. Some days you’re a strategist. Other days you’re more of a team therapist.

6. Alignment is slippery

Even when everyone has the same end goal, their day-to-day incentives differ. Engineering wants speed, design wants craft, sales wants promises, leadership wants growth. You’re the translator in the middle.

And all of that is happening while you’re supposed to know the technical specs, track tech debt, write tickets, and keep a beautiful roadmap updated. If I were an emoji user, this is when I’d insert the exploding head emoji.

It’s not that PMs aren’t good at their jobs. It’s that the job demands too much.

The Three Big Buckets

If you zoom out, almost all of these struggles fit into three buckets:

1. Progress Management

• Are we moving forward?
• Can we track work across tickets, sprints, and releases?
• Do we know when we’re behind before it’s too late?

2. Success Management

• Are we creating the right impact?
• Can we measure adoption, engagement, and customer satisfaction?
• Are we learning from what’s working and what’s not?

3. Decision Management

• Are we making smart calls with the information we have?
• Do we know which feedback to prioritize?
• Do we have enough clarity to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong ones?

Great PMs aren’t flawless in all three areas. But they’re at least aware of where they’re strong and where they need help.

The Tools That Make It Easier

The good news is you don’t have to brute force this job. There are tools that help PMs build systems around progress, success, and decision-making.

Here are the ones I’ve seen work best:

To Manage Progress

• Agile tickets (Jira, Linear, Trello) → Clear tasks, clear owners, and a system for retrospectives.
  
• Agile boards → See what’s blocked, what’s moving, and what’s about to slip.
  

To Manage Success

• Analytics (Mixpanel, Posthog) → Hard numbers on usage and adoption.
  
• Customer tools (Intercom, CRMs) → Direct input from sales and users.
  

To Manage Decisions

• Roadmap tools (Aha!, Productboard) → Communicate priorities and trade-offs.
  
• Chat + Email (Slack, Teams, Gmail) → Lightweight alignment when things shift.
  
• Culture tools (Butterfly, 15Five) → Take the pulse of the team to avoid blind spots in motivation.
  

No tool solves everything. But together, they create a clearer picture so that you can stop guessing, start connecting dots, and sleep better at night.

A Final Thought to Project Managers

If you’re a Project Manager, cut yourself some slack. You’re not supposed to have all the answers, and no one piece of tech will magically make the role easy. 

Your real job isn’t to predict the future or single-handedly steer the ship. Your job is to create enough clarity that the team can move forward with confidence.

Progress, success, and decisions. Those are your pillars.

The more you lean on tools and the people around you to fill in the gaps, the better you’ll get at turning chaos into clarity. And that’s what makes a great product manager.

If any of this resonates, don’t let it stop at recognition. Let’s hop on a quick call and uncover one or two shifts that could make your PM life easier.