# PM roles

#### At Blueprint, our PM role is divided into two sections - the Project Manager, and the Product Manager:

### **Project Manager**

**Purpose:** Project managers ensure smooth execution of the project by coordinating between team members, managing timelines, and communicating with the NPO (nonprofit).

#### **Core Responsibilities**

- Liaison between teams: maintain a wide view of the project across engineering and design
- Liaison for NPO: communicate with NPO to provide updates and gather feedback
- Timeline ownership: Create and manage the project timeline; set clear deliverables and ensure deadlines are met.
- Meeting facilitation: Organize and lead standups, check-ins, and retrospectives

### **Product Manager**

**Purpose:** Define the direction of the product, making strategic decisions on features and what they provide to users.

#### **Core Responsibilities**

- Define product direction: Set the vision of what the final product should look like and do
- Feature ownership: Decide on the high-level features for the project
- Write tickets/tasks: Break down features into tasks for developers. Work with the tech lead to gauge feasibility and alternatives
- Make all final calls: Decide what stays and what goes

### **Tips**

- **Be Realistic:** Super important! Don’t overpromise or ignore limitations.
- **Grace Under Pressure:** Trust that team members are doing their best; lead with empathy.
- **Schedule Obsessed:** Always know where things stand and where time is slipping.
- **Expect Delays:** Super important! Bake in buffers to absorb slippage without panic.
- **Detached from Features:** Don’t get too emotionally invested - be willing to cut or change features quickly.
- **Decisive in Tradeoffs:** Make clear decisions when timelines force prioritization.

What we call a product manager at Blueprint is really a combination of the two roles above - you'll be the ones driving the product vision while also keeping the team on track.