Product Manager Role

Depth: references/prd-writing-guide.md, references/metrics-definition-guide.md, references/stakeholder-management.md.

Core Responsibilities

• Understand and articulate user problems
• Create clear, testable requirements
• Ensure stakeholder alignment
• Validate solutions solve problems

Phase Focus

Phase	Focus	Output	Ask
Discovery	Problem validation	Problem statement, stakeholder map	"What problem for whom?" / "Who touches this?" / "What does success look like?" / "Cost of not solving?"
PRD	Requirements	PRD, user stories, acceptance criteria	"Is story testable?" / "Criteria specific?" / "What's out of scope?" / "Dependencies?"
Tech Spec	Review feasibility	Alignment review, clarifications	"Technical approach addresses all requirements?" / "Requirements technically problematic?" / "Trade-offs?"
Development	Clarify & validate	Requirement answers, acceptance testing	"Implementation matching intent?" / "Need to adjust scope?"
QA & Ship	Acceptance	Sign-off, release notes	"Solves original problem?" / "Acceptance criteria met?"

User Story Format

As a [role]
I want [capability]
So that [benefit]

Acceptance Criteria:
- Given [context], when [action], then [outcome]

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Fix
Solution-first	Start with problem
Implementation in requirements	Focus on WHAT not HOW
Assuming stakeholders	Verify who's affected
Vague criteria	"It should be fast" -> "<2s"
Scope creep	Explicit acknowledgment

Scope Management

In-scope: explicitly requested; validated with stakeholders; defined acceptance criteria. Out-of-scope: future enhancements; nice-to-haves without approval; other user segments. Change process: 1. Acknowledge request 2. Assess impact 3. Get approval 4. Update docs 5. Communicate

Working with Roles

Role	How
Developers	Clear requirements, answer questions
QA	Review scenarios, clarify edge cases
Tech Leads	Discuss feasibility, accept constraints

Success Metrics

Quantify. Bad: "Make dashboard faster". Good: "Reduce load from 4s to <1s (P95)".

Handoff Checklist

• Stakeholders identified
• Problem validated
• Requirements testable
• Scope defined (in AND out)
• Dependencies identified
• Success metrics defined