Our first PM humor post was such a hit back in December that we’ve decided to bring it back as a “Valentine’s Day Eve” treat (we were out of chocolate, sorry). We scoured our bookmarks and the web for all the funniest tweets we’ve seen circulating in tech Twitter. If you’re looking for some quick laughs, read these funny pearls of PM wisdom, then pass them along to your favorite PM colleagues. Enjoy!
The myth of product-market fit
Over the years, so many product people have tried to crack the ever-so enigmatic product-market fit code. And they’ve come up with a lot of questions. What’s the proper definition of PM-fit? Does the meaning change depending on the company? It’s taken people on wild goose chases, and some people just believe it’s a straight-up myth. Regardless of what you think, this video is certainly one interesting take on it.
Product-market fit pic.twitter.com/Wx8DlovsNt
— Ryan Hoover (@rrhoover) January 21, 2020
A slice of PM life
“So, what does a product manager do?” If you’ve ever heard that question (which is extremely likely), this gif is probably the most accurate description of the role.
Life as a product manager in a gif pic.twitter.com/9mNNU8CGyz
— Catherine Shyu Sullivan (@cthrin) February 2, 2020
Tales from the backlog
Ah, the product backlog. A deep, dark abyss of unloved tasks, waiting in eternal purgatory. Sorry, that was our attempt to answer the question posed in this tweet:
Product folks! I’ve heard people describe their product backlogs as a “graveyard of dreams” and “where ideas go to die”. Have you heard any funny ways of describing the product backlog? #productmanagement
— Emma Hill (@emma_l_s_hill) January 9, 2020
The whole thread of responses is pretty hilarious (and frighteningly accurate), but this one in particular really tickled our funny bone:
Back of the sofa… Always a goldmine if you dig deep
— g martin (@echostarcat) January 9, 2020
We’re sinking!
Do you ever feel like you’re fighting a losing battle when it comes to managing your JIRA? Is it like bailing water out of a sinking ship with a teaspoon? Do these tickets just move from sprint to sprint, never getting closed out? Yeah, we understand. And so does this guy:
Moving JIRAs to the next sprint. pic.twitter.com/K1gNg8Mu70
— Daniel Peter (@danieljpeter) December 15, 2019
From panic to peace
We start every product project and sprint with such hope, which quickly turns into trepidation, nervousness, and then (typically) full-blown panic. But somehow, by the time the retro comes around, the panic has faded and optimism and pride at our accomplishment take its place. Or at least we pretend they do.
me during how I say it
the project went during
the retro https://t.co/YA5KyUYJIq— Hamza (@oihamza) November 27, 2019
Time lies when you’re product-managing
They say that time flies when you’re having fun, but a good time can be hard to come by when you’re deep in the PM trenches. One minute, you’re chugging along, making a ton of progress. The next, you’re mired in the quicksand of misaligned priorities, communication challenges, and interdepartmental power struggles. We think this video is a fairly accurate representation of how that can feel.
1. When you’re on the team working on the product.
2. When you manage the team working on the product.
3. When you manage the managers of the team working on the product. https://t.co/TsCglbKTLk
— Cap Watkins (@cap) February 5, 2020
A foolproof method for self-improvement
Want to curb some bad habits? Just make a trade-off with yourself. For every JIRA ticket I close, I’ll (insert bad habit). Voila. We’re not encouraging you to NOT close your JIRA tickets, but we know how difficult it can be.
I only drink when I close a JIRA, so in other words I stopped drinking
— supermassive backlog (@FakeRyanGosling) January 17, 2020
Time to put on your breakup playlist
We know Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and that’s probably the worst day to have a breakup, whether it’s with your significant other or a product. But sometimes, you just have to cut the cord.
The Great Product Love Affair…#productmanagement #WednesdayWisdom #ValentinesDay pic.twitter.com/XOqYAep07L
— Shipping Tomorrow 🚀 (@ShippingTmrw) February 12, 2020
Roses are red …
Send this poem to your product teams tomorrow. We’re sure that it’ll bring you all closer together through shared misery experiences.
I feel seen 😭 @bosproduct #Unbox2019 pic.twitter.com/5Jk8sG32qf
— Emily Mias (@emilymias) September 20, 2019
If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day tomorrow, we hope you have a magical day with your loved ones, complete with lots of chocolate, roses, and all the usual fanfare. Oh, and you should avoid all “You up?” texts from your engineers. Work can wait until Monday.
