Ali Zaidan
This list is troubling — not because it's accurate, but because it reflects persistent misconceptions about the role of project managers in certain technical or poorly structured environments. Let me respond thoughtfully, point by point — not with resentment, but with clarity:
1 & 2 – “PMs lack technical skills” and “ride on others’ work”
These are classic symptoms of a narrow value lens — one that recognizes only direct technical contribution (e.g., coding) while ignoring the value of alignment, orchestration, foresight, and delivery under uncertainty.
Engineers may build the engine, but without steering, navigation, and coordination, the vehicle doesn’t move with purpose.
3 – “Overvaluing peripheral artifacts”
True — some PMs confuse documentation with delivery.
But the best PMs understand that plans, timelines, communications, and dashboards are enablers — not ends in themselves.
They’re tools to prevent cascade failures, align priorities, and create shared visibility. Criticizing PMs for this is like mocking a conductor for using a score.
4 & 5 – “No unique skillset” and “asking for respect”
Project management is not “just common sense.”
True PMs operate with advanced skills in adaptive leadership, conflict resolution, stakeholder psychology, strategic prioritization, and delivery under complexity.
And no — respect isn’t gained by learning to code just to appease technical peers.
It’s earned by creating clarity, coherence, and conditions for collective success.
6 – “PMs are dispensable”
Startups that make it beyond the MVP often learn the hard way that without project discipline, innovation becomes chaos.
PMs aren’t overhead — they’re execution catalysts.
Developers acting as part-time PMs often sacrifice depth on both ends.
These roles are not interchangeable without trade-offs.
7 – “Skillset doesn’t evolve”
This is simply false.
Modern project management now embraces agility, AI integration, behavioral economics, ESG alignment, user-centered design, business agility, and more.
Skilled PMs are continuous learners — and often the ones driving learning in their teams.
8 – “Women in PM = quota hires”
This is a toxic, discriminatory belief that must be confronted directly.
Gender diversity in project management isn’t about quotas — it reflects competence, leadership, and strategic capability.
Comments like this reveal more about the bias of the speaker than about those being spoken about.
Prejudice masked as analysis is a form of symbolic violence that should have no place in our professional communities.
Final thought
Rather than demeaning the PM role, a more constructive question would be:
- “How can we evolve project management to meet emerging challenges with greater impact, collaboration, and purpose?”
Project management is — and will continue to be — a core discipline where vision, people, and execution converge.
Let’s move beyond stereotypes and into meaningful dialogue.
