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Product Thinking Newsletter by Melissa Perri

How Can You Push Back on Unsustainable Workloads

Published about 2 months ago • 2 min read

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Hi Product people,

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Ever felt overwhelmed by the scope of your responsibilities as a product manager? You're not alone.

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In this week's episode of the Product Thinking Podcast, I dove into a question from a senior IC product manager who's juggling five engineering teams, an enormous task usually spread across multiple PMs.

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It's crucial to communicate the need for change to your leadership when you find yourself in such a position. The key is presenting them with a clear picture of what's sustainable and what's not. Developing a prioritization system aligned with company goals can help manage the workload effectively.

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"Quality is the thing that is slipping here. Everybody wants everything as fast as possible. You can't really handle this much."

We explored strategies to help product managers propose changes, such as bringing on additional team members, and aligning stakeholders with clear communication. The episode also highlights the importance of diagnosing whether the issue is a people, process, or system problem.

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Have you ever had to manage an unsustainable workload? How did you communicate your needs to leadership? Share your experiences or join the conversation on LinkedIn.

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🎧 Listen to the full episode here: Apple | Spotify

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Looking forward to hearing from you!

See you in the new year,

Melissa Perri

Founder Product Institute, Board Member, and Teacher
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You’ll hear us talk about:

  • 03:36 - The Classic Project Management Trade-Off

Melissa discusses the well-known project management saying about scope, quality, and speed, explaining how product managers must often choose between these competing priorities.

  • 04:44 - Proposing Solutions to Manage Workload

Melissa provides a framework for presenting options to leadership, including hiring additional product managers and weighing the opportunity costs of current workloads.

  • 07:40 - Building Internal Systems for Workload Management

Melissa advises on creating internal systems to distribute work, allowing development leads to step into prioritization roles, thus enabling a more balanced workload distribution.

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Tune in to gain actionable strategies and ensure your product management approach aligns with your organization's strategic goals.

Other Resources:

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THE PRODUCT THINKING PODCAST IS SPONSORED BY

Product Management training at scale for teams and individuals, created by Melissa Perri.

LEARN MORE

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Do you have a product dilemma you just can’t solve? Are you in need of some pointed career guidance? We’ve got a direct line to Melissa, so now’s your chance to ask her anything you’d like. You can record a voice message here, or you can submit a question via form below. Melissa just might answer it in a future Dear Melissa segment of the podcast.

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The CPO Accelerator is a members-only live virtual course for product leaders taught by Melissa Perri. The move from product leader to VP or CPO can be challenging. It takes a whole new set of skills to succeed at the next level, and you may be the first person at your company to hold this seat at the executive table.

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Product Thinking is the newsletter of Product Institute, Inc. and Melissa Perri.

Product Thinking Newsletter by Melissa Perri

All things Product Management

Subscribe to this newsletter if you are a product manager or product leader interested in leveling up your strategy, process, and insights into technology. I send out emails once a week on Wednesdays.

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