We’re bringing back another edition of PM Humor because well, things are still a bit crazy in this world. 2020 remains what some might (generously) call a “wild ride,” but we’re glad to provide everyone with some product management-related chuckles. Below are a few funny examples from around the web and the Twitterverse. We hope they give you a well-deserved laugh.
A full-body workout
Product managers helping their engineering team deliver features pic.twitter.com/uTbY2Sq7La
— Brian Bosché (@BrianPBosche) June 25, 2020
We’re fully aware that product managers have been probably overworking themselves these days. The guy in this video isn’t a PM, but any product person certainly knows how he feels.
And before any product manager gets offended, the OP would like to remind you that he’s a PM himself. It’s true — different product managers have their own kind of philosophies on how hands-on they want to be, and that’s always okay. If you’re the kind of product manager that wants to get elbows-deep in coding with your developers, or the kind pictured above, who is supportive in their own way, you’re still guiding your team to success.
Just fix it!
I sometimes joke (well half-joke) that a product manager’s job is just getting people in the room and forcing them to talk to each other and listen to each other until the problem disappears.
— Sam Kawtharani (@SamKawtharani) May 20, 2020
It’s funny how the roles of product managers and project managers are often confused for each other. In reality, it might be more of a mix-up of job descriptions between product managers and counselors. Product managers sit at the intersection of so many voices — business dev, sales, design, engineering, and so forth. The best thing they can do is wrangle all these stakeholders in a room, and talk it out.
Some charming quirks
What are some quirky PM traits you’ve seen? Tell us in the comments below 🙌🏻
(Quotes and analogies inspired by our friends @_mpras, @rwmesh and @arvindganesan :D) pic.twitter.com/neUlDSgCbS
— Shipping Tomorrow 🚀 (@ShippingTmrw) June 9, 2020
We love this comic by ShippingTmrw. Here’s how to spot a product manager in the wild — you’re curious, you use crazy analogies, you ask too many why’s?, and you want to fix the user experience everywhere. Are you guilty of all those things?
A glimpse into the life of a PM
This Medium article perfectly illustrates the life of a product manager with gifs. We especially love No. 5, because asking for a roadmap that far in the future? That has to be a joke, right? That kind of foresight into a product might work in a different world, especially one that is documented with milestones. But these days, we’re working on how to make sure we pivot our product strategy to meet our customers’ changing expectations. Which of these particularly resonated with you?
Trials and tribulations
Product manager: “why are you running into so many problems”
Me: “Welcome to software development”
— 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗲𝗸 🚀💻 (@WellPaidGeek) July 7, 2020
We’d like to take this time to apologize to all software developers. It’s not you, it’s us. But while this is funny, it’s still a good reminder that product managers should read up a bit on technical education before they jump into the questioning part. Remember, stay empathetic when it comes to your team.
Roses are red …
dont date a product manager
all PMs do is schedule meetings, say no, write jira tickets, eat hot chip, and lie
— Kendall Pennington (@Kenny___Rose) July 6, 2020
Swipe left if you’re into the description above. Swipe right if you have bad taste. Just kidding! Product managers are a catch. Their ability to say no just means they’re really good at prioritizing what’s important. JIRA tickets? Who doesn’t love someone who is decisive and solution-oriented? And scheduling meetings is great if you love calendar reminders for dates, anniversaries, and uh, retros if they do break-up with you.
Hooray, maybe?
What do you guys think about my hard work of whole 7 mins? 🥺 #productmanagement #productmanager #appdesign #design #designer #userfeedback #userresearch #userresearcher #userreviews #startup #startuplife #designmemes #designmeme #productmanagermemes#titleofmysextape #99 😶 pic.twitter.com/KXVVD06PFZ
— kaustubh khandelwal (@Coffee_wala_PM) July 8, 2020
The proper reaction to a product launch should always involve confetti, champagne, balloons, and all the typical fanfare. But we totally understand the product manager in this case. Who wouldn’t want to shrivel up and bring out the puppy eyes when the reaction is at best, lukewarm, and at worse, your users don’t even notice that you shipped something brand new?
