The Technical Program Manager: How to Stay Relevant in 2025

 

By Sree Rao, PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP

Over the past 18 months, Big Tech companies have let go of several program- and product-adjacent roles, as companies double-down on AI efficiency. One of the roles that is heavily impacted is the TPM (technical program manager) role.

To stay relevant in this changing landscape, here are some do’s and don’ts based on my experience—and my mentors’ suggestions. While I specifically talk about TPMs in this blog post, most of these are relevant to program managers, as well.

Do’s:

• 1. Run a pre-mortem for your career. Yes, you heard that right. Similar to how we run pre-mortem for our programs to identify failure points, do a pre-mortem for your career. Analyze how big of a risk it is for your role to be replaced. Identify what you can do if that happens. Do you have an option to pursue a different career? Are there any skillsets that you can acquire to stay ahead of the competition?
• 2. Become product-fluent, not just process-fluent. Earlier in my career as a TPM, I used to get consistent feedback that I should understand all the requirements. Based on that feedback, I started focusing a lot more on product requirements. That made a lot of difference in how I managed the programs. I spent a lot more time not only understanding the requirements, but also playtesting the product, identifying bugs and making suggestions. As you become more senior, building that product knowledge is a must. Dedicate time to build that knowledge.
• 3. Dig into the technical stack. One of my mentors said that he spends four hours every weekend reading up on the technical documents so that he can keep up with the team’s work. While not everyone can spend time over weekends for this, it is important to carve out the time to understand the architecture, the trade-offs, and the technical debt lurking under the hood. This will help you gain more credibility with your team.
• 4. Leverage AI tools to automate the busywork. Status reporting, risk tracking, analyzing data and even meeting notes…use artificial intelligence to help. Free up your time for higher-value work, and show your team you’re always looking for ways to work smarter.
• 5. Be proactive and stay ahead of risks. TPMs who thrive are those who bring order to chaos. Proactively surface ambiguities, clarify priorities, and communicate relentlessly. Anticipate blockers, dependencies, and resource gaps before they become emergencies. Your ability to foresee and mitigate risks is what sets you apart.

Dont’s:

• 1. Don’t just be a meeting scheduler. I have heard that “TPMs are glorified admins.” If you’re only booking rooms and sending invites, you’re not adding strategic value. There have been several times where people ask me to schedule meetings even though I don’t even need to be in that meeting. I have politely started pushing back on this. When asked to schedule a meeting, you can say: “I typically schedule meetings where I drive the agenda. In this case, I am not driving the agenda. Happy to do it this time.”
• 2. Don’t just be a paper pusher. Status reports and documentation are important, but they’re not your whole job. Focus on driving outcomes, not just tracking them. Additionally, ensure that status docs drive decisions.
• 3. Don’t just be a reminder service. Following up on action items, tasks and tickets is one of our job responsibilities. However, that should not be our biggest contribution. Figure out ways to reduce the number of manual follow-ups. Example: Create a tracker with all the action items and set up a recurring placeholder calendar invite (daily, weekly, etc., depending on the need) with a link to the tracker.
• 4. Don’t just be an event organizer. Planning offsites and other team events is fine, but it’s not your core value. Be the person who drives programs forward, not just the one who plans the party.
• 5. Don’t wait for direction. TPMs who sit back and wait for other people to tell them what they need to do are the first to go. As mentioned in the Do’s section above, be proactive!

Key takeaways

We should prioritize deepening our technical skills, understanding our product, and relentlessly demonstrating our impact—or risk being left behind. The best TPMs are those who bring clarity, leadership, and technical insight to the table every single day.

In the comments let me know the Do’s and Don’ts that resonated with you. Also let the community know your suggestions!