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By: Ming Yeung, PMP
In March, Dr. Vanita Ahuja and I co-presented at PMI's PMXPO 2025. This was a great event with featured speakers, exhibits, and networking activities. Our presentation, "From Projects to Products: Redefining Roles in the Modern Workplace,” focused on two project professionals with interesting yet distinct transitions from a product manager/owner to a project/program manager. With the rise of product management and product-led organizational strategies, strong collaboration between product and project managers has become essential. PMI's recent Maximizing Project Success research shows that 39% of respondents' most recent projects were in product development, indicating these roles frequently interact in organizations today.
Project managers provide essential skills that enable teams to deliver products efficiently and effectively while meeting customer expectations. Their ability to adapt, lead, and drive results ensures they remain indispensable in an evolving landscape where the distinction between product and project continues to blur.
At the conclusion of this session, are goals were to:
• Identify the business value that can be delivered through effective collaboration between these roles.
• Recognize the shared foundational skill set essential for success in both product and project management roles.
• Analyze real-world examples of successful collaboration between product and project management, identifying good practices that contribute to effective teamwork.
Q&A
During my presentation, I received a lot of great questions that we didn’t get a chance to cover, and my responses are below.
Question: Are diverse industries truly ready to embrace candidates transitioning from other domains? Despite my qualifications and PMP, I’m hitting roadblocks.
Answer: Each industry possesses its own culture and operational nuances, making transitions a challenge yet also a tremendous opportunity. My career path—from product innovation to project discipline and finally a hybrid program directorship—shows that transferable skills matter. While a PMP is a strong credential, real impact comes from connecting your varied experiences to industry-specific outcomes. Articulate your unique value by presenting case studies or success metrics that resonate with your target sector. Networking with domain insiders and seeking specialized certifications can also help bridge any knowledge gaps, demonstrating both your versatility and your commitment to mastering the new industry’s challenges.
Question: Is transitioning from project to product management harder than the reverse? How do we gain credibility and domain knowledge?
Answer: The difficulty of moving from project to product management—or vice versa—depends on personal experience and organizational context. Transitioning to product management usually means developing deep market insight and customer empathy, while moving toward project management emphasizes structure, timelines, and risk control. To gain credibility in a new role, immerse yourself in the domain: pursue targeted learning, mentoring, and hands-on projects. Highlight successes that showcase your ability to adapt and integrate diverse methodologies. Building a narrative that connects your project discipline with product innovation not only bridges the experience gap but also demonstrates your capacity to deliver balanced, high-impact outcomes.
Question: How do project and product management intersect and evolve together?
Answer: Project and product management intersect in the balance between strategic vision and meticulous execution. Over my career, I’ve witnessed how the discipline of project management can provide structure to the creative endeavors of product development. While the former focuses on planning, resource allocation, and risk mitigation, the latter demands customer insights, iterative experimentation, and market orientation. Their convergence creates a robust framework where innovative ideas are systematically evolved and delivered. Seasoned professionals benefit from understanding that the fusion of these disciplines delivers enhanced agility, improved stakeholder alignment, and ultimately a product that is both visionary and reliably executed—a synergy that reinforces business success.
Question: What are the unique skills for each role versus shared ones? Where can we go to develop these?
Answer: Project management is built on orchestrating timelines, budgeting, and risk assessment, while product management requires deep market research, customer empathy, and strategic vision. Despite these focal differences, both roles demand high levels of communication, stakeholder management, and leadership. Shared skills include agile adaptability and the ability to lead cross-functional teams toward a common objective. To hone these abilities, pursue PMI certifications for structured process mastery and specialized courses that delve into customer-focused and design thinking methodologies for product management. Professional workshops, mentorship programs, and industry conferences are excellent venues to develop both unique competencies and the overlapping skills that drive integrated success.
Question: How do roles shift between project managers and product owners in today’s job market?
Answer: The modern job market has blurred the traditional lines between project managers and product owners. Historically, project managers concentrated on timelines and execution, whereas product owners drove the vision, prioritization, and customer interactions. Today, however, successful organizations require both to work in tandem. Project managers are increasingly adopting agile techniques to support flexibility, while product owners embrace structured planning to ensure consistent delivery. This evolution encourages both roles to share responsibilities while focusing on their core strengths—ensuring strategic alignment and operational efficiency. In such integrated environments, the synergy between planning and vision results in a more coherent approach to innovation and delivery, benefiting the overall success of the organization.
Question: What approaches can a PM take to transition into a product management role?
Answer: For a PM aiming to move into product management, the journey begins with cultivating a deeper customer and market focus. Immerse yourself in user research, competitive analysis, and product innovation techniques. Start by partnering with product teams on smaller initiatives to gain hands-on experience in setting product vision and gathering customer feedback. Certifications and courses specific to product management can provide a foundational knowledge boost, while mentorship from experienced product leaders can guide your transition. Build a portfolio that highlights instances where you combined project discipline with market insights. Over time, this hybrid experience not only builds credibility but also demonstrates your readiness to lead as both a project driver and an innovator.
As a personal retrospective, the above hindsight and insights draw on years of personal, subjective, and, at times, haphazard journey across product, project, and hybrid roles—blending structured frameworks with agile adaptability. In summary, I hope these detailed perspectives inspire you to apply the principles in your own context while exploring the boundless intersection between strategy and execution.
I had a great time presenting, and the full presentation will be on demand through 31 January 2026. Visit PMI's PMXPO 2025 for more details!
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