3 min read

Finally, I want to share some of the laws I’ve found to be true for all great PMs.

1. More inputs = better decisions

A PM makes choices using their knowns and unknowns. The more unknowns are converted to knowns, the better. To do this, establish sources of knowledge from:

1. User (usable)
2. Business (feasible)
3. Competition (valuable)

If any of these sources are cut off, risks will arise:

• Without users, the team can’t test usability
• Poor knowledge of the business model leads to feasibility issues
• Something already exists in the market

2. Outcomes > Outputs

Great PMs focus on outcomes, not outputs. Marty Cagan explains it like this:

Groups of executives and other stakeholders all too often come up with the quarterly “roadmap” of features and projects and then pass them down to the product teams, essentially telling them how to solve the underlying business problems.

Product teams easily end up being feature factories with no ownership over the “why.” To avoid this, delegate choices down to those most capable of making them.