When you dive into product management, you quickly encounter two buzzwords: Agile and Scrum. If you Google them or ask ChatGPT, you will find countless definitions. These terms often get thrown around to signal expertise, but do they actually help product managers lead better? Scrum, while structured and widely used, sometimes feels like it treats developers as execution machines rather than creative problem-solvers. So, what’s the right way to lead technical teams without stripping away their autonomy and creativity? The Role of a Product Manager in Scrum A product manager (PM) is responsible for translating business needs into actionable tasks for engineers. They create and manage tickets that developers work on during two-week sprints. The Product Manager’s job is to prioritize work effectively, ensuring the team is always focused on what delivers the most value. They manage the backlog and keeps execution on track. But does Scrum always work as intended? Fellow HackerNoon writer Alex Debecker argues that Scrum can stifle productivity, turning developers into rigid task executors. While he makes valid points, abandoning Scrum is not the solution. Instead, the real magic happens when PMs address Scrum’s shortcomings with a human-centered approach. The Sprint Dilemma: Balancing Time and Momentum Scrum’s two-week sprint cycle is designed to create rapid progress, but it can also feel relentless, giving teams little breathing room to think creatively. Extending sprints might seem like a fix, but it often kills momentum. Every sprint is a cycle, and momentum matters. If progress slows, final delivery is at risk. Rather than stretching timelines, the key is breaking tasks into smaller, more digestible pieces. If a ticket takes longer than 1–2 weeks to complete, it’s not more time that is needed—it’s the ticket itself that needs reworking. This doesn’t mean enforcing unrealistic deadlines. Engineers are human, some weeks they’re highly productive, and other weeks they need more time. That’s why self-imposed deadlines are useful. Ask your team: "How long do you think this will take?" While the response may not be perfectly accurate, it keeps engineers accountable and helps refine their ability to estimate over time. But as the PM, you need to be careful when imposing the self-imposed deadlines. Engineers are a unique breed. Their passion and overconfidence can sometimes lead them to take on more than they can handle, believing they can “hit two birds with one stone” by juggling multiple tickets in a single sprint. This is a recipe for burnout and, ultimately, missed deadlines. As a product manager or scrum master, it’s crucial to decide the workload for the team. Keeping Developers in the Loop A common Scrum pitfall is that developers become disconnected from the bigger picture. They work on tickets but don’t always see how their efforts impact the product or customers. This is where PMs can make a real difference. Spending only 30 minutes a week explaining the business context behind their work can be transformative. Developers are incredibly smart; they don’t need everything broken down into a robotic "user story" format. When they understand the *why* behind what they’re building, they get more engaged, creative, and motivated. When engineers deeply understand customer pain points, they develop more innovative and effective solutions. They don’t just write code—they design solutions. Giving them business context allows them to make more informed decisions that align with company goals. Keeping engineers in the loop also strengthens team cohesion—when they see their impact, they become more invested in the product’s success. The Problem of Focus in Sprints Another complaint about Scrum is that sprints can sometimes lack direction. Teams work on multiple fragmented tickets without a clear overarching goal. This is, once again, where a great PM stands out. A well-structured roadmap should ensure that every task contributes to a larger objective. Before adding a ticket to a sprint, ask yourself: Does this align with our product vision? (And if you want to learn more about why a strong vision matters, you should definitely check out this Five Step Framework to Build Strong Vision.) If a task does not directly contribute to the company’s goals, it’s wasted effort. As Kevin Brennan highlights in his famous Mastering Product Management guide, a PM’s role is not just managing work but ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. Hence, a good PM keeps the team focused on high-impact work, ensuring engineers aren’t stuck on low-priority tasks. Engineers Run Sprints; Product Managers Run the Marathon Developers run sprints; product managers run the marathon. Engineers may push themselves hard in a sprint, eager to maximize output, but it’s the PM’s job to ensure they don’t burn out before the finish line. Developers focus on immediate execution, but PMs must manage long-term sustainability. If a team exhausts itself halfway through a project, progress stalls, and deadlines slip. Balance is the key. Great product leaders think beyond the next release, maintaining a sustainable pace that fuels continuous innovation and long-term success. Engineers don’t always see how much more work lies ahead, but the PM does. It’s their job to manage energy levels, anticipate roadblocks, and ensure the team has enough capacity to cross the finish line—whether that’s a product launch or a major milestone. Final Thoughts: Lead with Empathy Scrum is not perfect, but it’s a very good tool—and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how you use it. A great PM doesn’t just enforce frameworks; they understand their team’s strengths, limitations, and motivations. By embracing self-imposed deadlines, breaking work into manageable chunks, and keeping engineers informed, you create an environment where developers thrive. A well-run Scrum process isn’t about forcing deadlines—it’s about maintaining energy, clarity, and focus. By creating an environment where developers stay engaged and connected to the bigger picture, PMs can transform Scrum from a rigid system into a flexible, powerful tool for building great products. Scrum is about momentum, but it’s also about people. When you blend structured execution with a human-first approach, you create a process that isn’t just productive, it’s also sustainable and fulfilling for everyone involved. When you dive into product management, you quickly encounter two buzzwords: Agile and Scrum. If you Google them or ask ChatGPT, you will find countless definitions. These terms often get thrown around to signal expertise, but do they actually help product managers lead better? Scrum, while structured and widely used, sometimes feels like it treats developers as execution machines rather than creative problem-solvers. So, what’s the right way to lead technical teams without stripping away their autonomy and creativity? The Role of a Product Manager in Scrum The Role of a Product Manager in Scrum A product manager (PM) is responsible for translating business needs into actionable tasks for engineers. They create and manage tickets that developers work on during two-week sprints. The Product Manager’s job is to prioritize work effectively, ensuring the team is always focused on what delivers the most value. They manage the backlog and keeps execution on track. But does Scrum always work as intended? Fellow HackerNoon writer Alex Debecke r argues that Scrum can stifle productivity , turning developers into rigid task executors. While he makes valid points, abandoning Scrum is not the solution. Instead, the real magic happens when PMs address Scrum’s shortcomings with a human-centered approach. Alex Debecke Scrum can stifle productivity The Sprint Dilemma: Balancing Time and Momentum The Sprint Dilemma: Balancing Time and Momentum Scrum’s two-week sprint cycle is designed to create rapid progress, but it can also feel relentless, giving teams little breathing room to think creatively. Extending sprints might seem like a fix, but it often kills momentum. Every sprint is a cycle, and momentum matters. If progress slows, final delivery is at risk. Rather than stretching timelines, the key is breaking tasks into smaller, more digestible pieces. If a ticket takes longer than 1–2 weeks to complete, it’s not more time that is needed—it’s the ticket itself that needs reworking. This doesn’t mean enforcing unrealistic deadlines. Engineers are human, some weeks they’re highly productive, and other weeks they need more time. That’s why self-imposed deadlines are useful. Ask your team: "How long do you think this will take?" While the response may not be perfectly accurate, it keeps engineers accountable and helps refine their ability to estimate over time. But as the PM, you need to be careful when imposing the self-imposed deadlines. Engineers are a unique breed. Their passion and overconfidence can sometimes lead them to take on more than they can handle, believing they can “hit two birds with one stone” by juggling multiple tickets in a single sprint. This is a recipe for burnout and, ultimately, missed deadlines. As a product manager or scrum master, it’s crucial to decide the workload for the team. Keeping Developers in the Loop Keeping Developers in the Loop A common Scrum pitfall is that developers become disconnected from the bigger picture. They work on tickets but don’t always see how their efforts impact the product or customers. This is where PMs can make a real difference. Spending only 30 minutes a week explaining the business context behind their work can be transformative. Developers are incredibly smart; they don’t need everything broken down into a robotic "user story" format. When they understand the *why* behind what they’re building, they get more engaged, creative, and motivated. When engineers deeply understand customer pain points, they develop more innovative and effective solutions. They don’t just write code—they design solutions. Giving them business context allows them to make more informed decisions that align with company goals. Keeping engineers in the loop also strengthens team cohesion—when they see their impact, they become more invested in the product’s success. The Problem of Focus in Sprints The Problem of Focus in Sprints Another complaint about Scrum is that sprints can sometimes lack direction. Teams work on multiple fragmented tickets without a clear overarching goal. This is, once again, where a great PM stands out. A well-structured roadmap should ensure that every task contributes to a larger objective. Before adding a ticket to a sprint, ask yourself: Does this align with our product vision? (And if you want to learn more about why a strong vision matters, you should definitely check out this Five Step Framework to Build Strong Vision .) Five Step Framework to Build Strong Vision If a task does not directly contribute to the company’s goals, it’s wasted effort. As Kevin Brennan highlights in his famous Mastering Product Management guide, a PM’s role is not just managing work but ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. Hence, a good PM keeps the team focused on high-impact work, ensuring engineers aren’t stuck on low-priority tasks. Engineers Run Sprints; Product Managers Run the Marathon Engineers Run Sprints; Product Managers Run the Marathon Developers run sprints; product managers run the marathon. Engineers may push themselves hard in a sprint, eager to maximize output, but it’s the PM’s job to ensure they don’t burn out before the finish line. Developers focus on immediate execution, but PMs must manage long-term sustainability. If a team exhausts itself halfway through a project, progress stalls, and deadlines slip. Balance is the key. Great product leaders think beyond the next release, maintaining a sustainable pace that fuels continuous innovation and long-term success. Engineers don’t always see how much more work lies ahead, but the PM does. It’s their job to manage energy levels, anticipate roadblocks, and ensure the team has enough capacity to cross the finish line—whether that’s a product launch or a major milestone. Final Thoughts: Lead with Empathy Final Thoughts: Lead with Empathy Scrum is not perfect, but it’s a very good tool—and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how you use it. A great PM doesn’t just enforce frameworks; they understand their team’s strengths, limitations, and motivations. By embracing self-imposed deadlines, breaking work into manageable chunks, and keeping engineers informed, you create an environment where developers thrive. A well-run Scrum process isn’t about forcing deadlines—it’s about maintaining energy, clarity, and focus. By creating an environment where developers stay engaged and connected to the bigger picture, PMs can transform Scrum from a rigid system into a flexible, powerful tool for building great products. Scrum is about momentum, but it’s also about people. When you blend structured execution with a human-first approach, you create a process that isn’t just productive, it’s also sustainable and fulfilling for everyone involved.
