5 things to consider when you say ‘No’ as a Product Manager
How to go about doing it successfully without damaging relationships or hurting your product strategy
As a Product Manager, you have to say ‘No’ A LOT. You are expected to make a lot of decisions on how to move your product strategy forward. You are also fielding bugs, questions and requests from many different stakeholders and users. Finally, you are also responsible for conveying a clear roadmap that demonstrates how certain product outcomes will be achieved within a timeline.
The part that’s trickiest is not actually just saying ‘No’, but rather saying ‘No’ in an empathetic manner and setting the right expectation. It would really toughen your job as a PM if you have a stakeholder who feels unheard or walked away with the wrong expectation.
1 — Understand your team’s goals & boundaries
Regardless of what the feature request or idea is, go back to your team and problem area. What problem are you trying to solve? What is your goal and what are your team’s OKRs?
Understand whether the feature fits into your area of ownership or drives impact towards your OKRs. If so, the next thing worth considering is how important it is so you can compare it to…
