2. Don’t force people to use your tools

If you’re a Product Manager at heart, you can come to a company armed with new tools like Batman with his utility belt. You feel like you have a process for every scenario.

I’ve tried to be the guy implementing sprints for the first time. Or trying to get Github-issues/Jira/Trello/Asana going early. Or getting everyone in a room to talk about personas/company-mission-statement/user stories.

Truth is, you’re over managing. Like your mother trying to get a hat, gloves and a winter coat on you because she saw a snowflake that morning. Your solution needs to be proportional to the problem.

No sprints? Not until the product needs it. Expect an early stage product to be a mad dash. Embrace it!

No task manager? Keep a list of active issues for yourself but don’t expect anyone to look at it. They’re too busy as they should be.

No meetings to discuss product direction? No! More important than a meeting is talking about the product regularly. Drive the conversation into topics you want and watch the answers evolve over time.