Q:How do I work well with engineers as a PM?

Marty Cagan's advice is to treat engineers as peers and bring them in early, rather than handing them finished specs¹. Several sources converge on the same practice: involve engineering in decisions as they happen, not after.

01Treat Engineering as a Peer

• Cagan argues the PM defines the right product while engineering builds it right, and each needs the other¹.
• He stresses that neither side should see itself as subordinate, and that the PM should give engineers room to build quality work¹.

02Bring Engineers in Early

• Cagan recommends inviting engineers to prototype testing and customer sessions, since watching users struggle often inspires better solutions¹⁶.
• He suggests involving a lead engineer from the start of discovery to get early cost estimates, warning that throwing a finished definition "over the wall" postpones hard tradeoffs¹.
• Hiten Shah's analysis of 51 job postings found about 95% expected PMs to work alongside engineers on estimates, sequencing, and tradeoffs³.

03Communicate the Why and Handle Pushback

• Shah advises sharing customer insights and priorities so engineers understand the reasoning behind what is being built³.
• When an engineer says something isn't possible, treat it as a starting point for workarounds or tradeoffs rather than a dead end³.
• Cagan says the PM should keep scope to the smallest product that meets the goals and avoid introducing new ideas mid-build, since churn hurts the team¹.