Thread by @aakashg0

This data really stuck with me...

There's a huge gulf between what PMs and designers think each other's responsibilities are.

🧵

From the chart:

1. Do PMs own stakeholder buy-in?
→ 53% of PMs think they do, but only 16% of designers do

2. Do PMs own what features the team should build?
→ 56% of PMs think so, but only 15% of designers do

Source: @NNgroup

Similarly...

3. Does design own product discovery?
→ 73% of designers think so, but only 19% of PMs do

4. Does design own explaining designs to leadership?
→ 76% of designers think so, but only 29% of PMs do

Each discipline thinks it owns things the other doesn't.

It's worth asking: "Why?"

• There is not industry standardization
• There's enough vagueness in each, unlike disciplines like engineering
• PM, in particular, does not have clearly defined artifacts or deliverables

It leads to everyone having their own opinion:

→ The empowered PM folks yell, "designers own discovery and PMs features to build, with each as key partners!"

→ The feature factories yell, "PMs should frame both, design should be a contributor!"

→ A designer who is much more senior than a PM yells, "I should own it all!"

So... What should PMs and designers do?

Here's the practical reality: We don't live in an ideal world.

If you want to get promoted, you typically have to be a pragmatist.

I recommend 3 things:

I'd focus on 3 things:

1. Lean on your job responsibilities and org context

What is expected where YOU work?

Assess what leaders and other PMs and designers want you to do.

Each company is different. Adapt as needed.

2. Have a discussion with each other

It doesn't matter who starts the conversation, but it's worth defining responsibilities.

At Apollo, we used to do this at our half-year off-sites.

Do whatever cadence works for you.

3. Stay close to the ground and iterate

There's going to be practical things that you do that the other may not have expected.

The key is to have a close relationship, where you feel open to share these things with each other.

Of course, this all sounds simple theoretically.

It's much harder to do in practice.

That's why everyone disagrees.

So how do I think PMs and designers can work better together?

I interviewed 14 PMs, designers, and UXRs to hear from the best:

news.aakashg.com/p/how-to-pair-…