Engineer-PM Collaboration: Helping Your Product Manager Succeed
A Framework for Engineers to Help PMs Level Up Their Skills
Recently, I received a question from an engineer who was interested in how he could help his product manager grow to a senior level. While I'll omit some specifics about this particular situation, I'd still like to provide some general guidance
First of all, I really appreciated that this question came from someone in engineering. Simply asking this question is already an enormous step in the right direction. To me, it signifies that this engineer views their PM as an important counterpart of the team and is invested in both the team's success and their colleague's personal growth.
When we say 'grow to senior level,' it typically means two distinct things, which can be correlated but are often (unfortunately) separate paths.
The first is growing to a senior level in skills - this focuses on assessing what skills or experience a person needs to develop and identifying opportunities to gain that experience to level up.
The second is growing to a senior level in title - this is a more political process and highly dependent on individual company culture. As a rule of thumb, if a PM has a solid relationship with their manager, and that manager demonstrates interest in growing the person's career and has influence with upper management, then the path to promotion is clearer. However, when the manager is stressed, lacks influence, or doesn't show enthusiasm for employee career growth, the path to promotion will unfortunately be longer. In these cases, I recommend either finding a different opportunity within the company or moving on.
In this post I’m focusing on the former. So how can an engineer help their PM grow their skills?
1. Help PM become an expert in the field.
Product managers come from different backgrounds. For instance, Yana and I came from QA, and we know folks who entered product management from design, data analytics, support, and customer success roles. While there are cases where people transition from engineering to product, in my experience, most PMs' technical knowledge is somewhat limited. I found that having a great engineering partner has been instrumental in my career growth.
Here are some simple examples of how you can help your PM understand the technical aspects of your projects:
Walk them through data structures and edge cases of the feature you are working on
Explain technical problems from the perspective of 'what does this mean for the user?'
Break down the trade-offs between different technical approaches
Additionally, share relevant articles, competitor analysis, and thought leadership blogs that you follow. This helps your PM broaden their horizons and stay current with industry trends.
2. Continue building a great team relationship
It takes time for a team to function as a well-oiled machine. I believe that engineers who care about helping their PM grow are inherently invested in making their team high-performing and impactful. PMs typically find themselves leading the team without having actual management authority over engineering - what we in product management call 'leading without authority.' The best way you can help your PM in this context is to be a collaborative team member: actively participate in team meetings, encourage other engineers to speak up, and ensure team interactions remain respectful. Making an effort to smooth out team collaboration is a huge support.
3. Share feedback and advocate for your Product Manager
I strongly believe in the power of feedback. Share your thoughts with your fellow PM - celebrate their successes and constructively point out growth opportunities. It's incredibly powerful.
When you enjoy working with your Product Manager, make sure to communicate this to both your manager and your PM's manager. You don't need to write an essay; even a simple sentence of appreciation goes a long way. Additionally, remember to give credit in public forums. This kind of advocacy plays a significant role in your PM's professional development in two important ways. First, it helps build confidence (which I've found is often one of the biggest barriers holding people back from advancing to more senior positions). Second, openly advocating for your PM helps managers build their case and notice the improvements that person is making.
As I was writing this, I found myself traveling down memory lane, reflecting on the profound influence engineers have had on my professional growth. So many of them taught me new ways of thinking and approaching problem-solving. To every engineer who has been part of my journey - thank you ❤️ Your willingness to share knowledge, provide candid feedback, and collaborate through both challenges and successes has shaped me into the product manager I am today. You've helped me understand complex technologies, navigate company dynamics, and most importantly, develop the discernment to distinguish what matters in building great products.
💬 Yana’s 2 cents:
I’ve worked in environments where engineers “ran the show,” often diminishing the role and value of the PM. I’ve also had the privilege of working in teams where engineers were collaborative, supportive, and patient with the countless questions I threw their way. The difference was night and day!
When engineers actively share ideas and feedback, challenge their PM with thoughtful “why” questions, and align on business goals, it creates a dynamic partnership. This collaboration not only helps your PM grow but also drives greater impact for the product and the team.