Perspectives

Another Dose of PM Humor

Our first PM humor post was such a hit back in December that we’ve decided to bring it back as a “Valentine’s Day Eve” treat (we were out of chocolate, sorry). We scoured our bookmarks and the web for all the funniest tweets we’ve seen circulating in tech Twitter. If you’re looking for some quick laughs, read these funny pearls of PM wisdom, then pass them along to your favorite PM colleagues. Enjoy!

The myth of product-market fit

Over the years, so many product people have tried to crack the ever-so enigmatic product-market fit code. And they’ve come up with a lot of questions. What’s the proper definition of PM-fit? Does the meaning change depending on the company? It’s taken people on wild goose chases, and some people just believe it’s a straight-up myth. Regardless of what you think, this video is certainly one interesting take on it. 

A slice of PM life

“So, what does a product manager do?” If you’ve ever heard that question (which is extremely likely), this gif is probably the most accurate description of the role.

Tales from the backlog

Ah, the product backlog. A deep, dark abyss of unloved tasks, waiting in eternal purgatory. Sorry, that was our attempt to answer the question posed in this tweet:

Product folks! I’ve heard people describe their product backlogs as a “graveyard of dreams” and “where ideas go to die”. Have you heard any funny ways of describing the product backlog? #productmanagement

— Emma Hill (@emma_l_s_hill) January 9, 2020

The whole thread of responses is pretty hilarious (and frighteningly accurate), but this one in particular really tickled our funny bone:

We’re sinking!

Do you ever feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when it comes to managing your JIRA? Is it like bailing water out of a sinking ship with a teaspoon? Do these tickets just move from sprint to sprint, never getting closed out? Yeah, we understand. And so does this guy:

From panic to peace

We start every product project and sprint with such hope, which quickly turns into trepidation, nervousness, and then (typically) full-blown panic. But somehow, by the time the retro comes around, the panic has faded and optimism and pride at our accomplishment take its place. Or at least we pretend they do. 

Time lies when you’re product-managing

They say that time flies when you’re having fun, but a good time can be hard to come by when you’re deep in the PM trenches. One minute, you’re chugging along, making a ton of progress. The next, you’re mired in the quicksand of misaligned priorities, communication challenges, and interdepartmental power struggles. We think this video is a fairly accurate representation of how that can feel. 

1. When you’re on the team working on the product.
2. When you manage the team working on the product.
3. When you manage the managers of the team working on the product. https://t.co/TsCglbKTLk

— Cap Watkins (@cap) February 5, 2020

A foolproof method for self-improvement

Want to curb some bad habits? Just make a trade-off with yourself. For every JIRA ticket I close, I’ll (insert bad habit). Voila. We’re not encouraging you to NOT close your JIRA tickets, but we know how difficult it can be. 

Time to put on your breakup playlist 

We know Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and that’s probably the worst day to have a breakup, whether it’s with your significant other or a product. But sometimes, you just have to cut the cord. 

Roses are red …

Send this poem to your product teams tomorrow. We’re sure that it’ll bring you all closer together through shared misery experiences.

If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day tomorrow, we hope you have a magical day with your loved ones, complete with lots of chocolate, roses, and all the usual fanfare. Oh, and you should avoid all “You up?” texts from your engineers. Work can wait until Monday.