Prove Your Commitment to Quality
The Reality of the Role
A Product Manager usually works under business pressures that prioritize short-term gains. Meanwhile, developers push for high-quality releases, technical excellence and user satisfaction. This difference in priorities can create friction, but ignoring it won’t help anyone. The best way forward is to acknowledge the challenge and actively manage it.
What You Can Do
1) Speak Up Early
Be upfront about the pressure you’re under. Let the team know that while quality matters to you, circumstances may push for trade-offs.
2) Be Transparent
If there’s a strong business case for a decision, explain it. Developers are problem-solvers by nature. If they understand the reasoning, they’ll be more likely to work with you, not against you.
3) Track the Issues
Even if there’s no immediate time to fix things, keeping a backlog of needed improvements shows that quality isn’t ignored—it’s just postponed.
4) Acknowledge Frustrations
Nobody enjoys shipping something they aren’t proud of. Make it clear that you understand the pain, and that you’re working to balance competing demands.
5) Define Future Quality Gates
Set checkpoints where improvements can be reassessed. Maybe once a key OKR is met, focus can shift back to fixing bugs and polishing the product.
6) Use Retrospectives Wisely
End-of-sprint discussions are a perfect place to bring up concerns and look for ways to manage business needs without completely sidelining quality.
7) Slip in Small Wins
Not every team member can work on the same priority at the same time. Use those gaps to sneak in minor fixes and quality-of-life improvements.
Do They Believe You?
What’s your approach to balancing business goals with product quality?
Do you have any ideas you would like to share? Get in touch on LinkedIn 👇
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