Stakeholder demands, unrealistic expectations, and meeting overloads—they all easily distract product teams from delivering real value.

That’s why anti-BS product management is more than just a catchy phrase, it’s a movement toward meaningful, value-driven product development.

To explore this theme, we’ll cut through the noise and empower you with practical advice from David Pereira during his talk at the Product Drive Summit.

Who is this David Pereira guy anyway?

David Pereira is a seasoned product management expert known for his no-nonsense approach to creating real value in digital products.

With over 15 years in the field, David’s passion for this topic comes from his early struggles. As a software engineer, he often clashed with colleagues by questioning the purpose behind product requirements.

He was later promised the autonomy of a “CEO of the product” as a product manager, only to find himself relegated to backlog management.

But he didn’t give up. As a Head of Product, he learned how to overcome what he calls “corporate firewalls” and protect his team from distractions—all while driving genuine product outcomes.

As a result, this journey of setbacks, learnings, and victories has fueled his mission to spread the principles of anti-BS product management.

Is product management just bullshit?

Let’s be honest: Product managers have it rough.

Many people argue that product managers (PMs) contribute little value and get entangled in activities that seem superficial at best.

Let’s break down some common BS product managers tend to fall into:

• The “fake” product manager: These individuals resemble project managers in disguise. Instead of focusing on discovery and strategy, they prioritize deadlines, execution, and micromanaging tasks. David calls this the “feature factory” mindset, where product teams churn out features without considering their true impact.
• The glorified secretary: PMs often get trapped in administrative work, like scheduling endless meetings or mediating between stakeholders. It leads to what David calls the “meeting marathon,” a cycle where productivity suffers because everyone is constantly busy yet not necessarily adding value.
• The powerless PM / “CEO of the Product” myth: Many PMs are told they have ultimate authority over the product, but in reality, they’re forced to execute leadership-driven decisions. David himself experienced this disconnect early in his career, highlighting that the “CEO of the Product” label is more misleading than empowering.

The rest of the teams also face BS such as the knowledge gap. This is when PMs who lack technical expertise create unrealistic expectations and fail to communicate effectively with dev teams.

With all this said, is it really possible to overcome all BS? Not all of it, and you need a good BS detector to get started.

How to detect bullshit product management?

Identifying BS practices in product management is the first step toward making meaningful improvements.

David Pereira outlines three common pitfalls that product managers should watch out for:

The waiter: Collect requirements without understanding user needs

A “waiter” product manager operates much like a server at a restaurant: they diligently collect and deliver orders from stakeholders without question.

While this approach may seem efficient, it’s fundamentally flawed. When PMs simply add requirements to the backlog without understanding the user’s true needs or the strategic impact, they fail to create value.

According to David, this behavior results in features that stakeholders think they want but often don’t solve real problems for end users. This makes PMs miss the opportunity to ask, “Why is this important?” or “How does this contribute to our overall product vision?”

The meeting marathon: Organize endless meetings without driving meaningful results

David Pereira describes the “meeting marathon” as a state where PMs spend most of their time attending or organizing meetings.

However, while meetings are sometimes necessary for alignment and collaboration, an excess can be counterproductive.

David points out that when PMs become meeting managers rather than product managers, they contribute to “consensus-driven decision-making.” In this scenario, discussions drag on until everyone is too tired to care, and decisions end up being compromises that lack real impact.

The feature factory: Build features for the sake of building

The “feature factory” concept is another key indicator of BS product management.

In this scenario, the focus is entirely on delivering features as quickly as possible, rather than understanding and solving user problems. Teams operating as feature factories measure their success by the sheer volume of features they release, rather than the value those features deliver to users.

David highlights the dangers of this mindset. Product managers get trapped in a feature factory when they become obsessed with outputs.

The result? Bloated products filled with functionality that no one uses—all while the real needs of users remain unmet.

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How to overcome bullshit product management?

Once you can identify BS practices in product management, the next step is learning how to combat them.

David Pereira offers actionable strategies to help PMs stay focused on creating value rather than getting lost in distractions.

Learn to say “no” to distractions

The ability to say “no” effectively is one of the most crucial skills a product manager can develop, yet it’s also one of the hardest to master.

David emphasizes that saying “no” isn’t about being dismissive or uncooperative—it’s about maintaining focus on what truly drives value for the product and its users.

The key is to frame your rejection in a way that opens up a constructive dialogue. David suggests using strategic questions such as:

• What does this contribute to our product vision?
• How does this relate to our current product strategy?
• Which evidence do we have that this is the right thing to do?
• How does this drive our current desired outcomes?

He also emphasizes that every “yes” you give is a commitment that can drain your resources and attention. On the other hand, every “no” preserves your ability to focus on what matters.

Remember, mastering the art of saying “no” means protecting your team from distractions while fostering a culture of strategic thinking.

Focus on outcomes, not output

As we mentioned, it’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring success by the sheer number of features shipped or tasks completed.

To overcome this, David has only one advice: shifting their mindset from output to outcomes.

The difference is crucial: output measures how much work you’ve done, while outcomes measure the real impact of that work.

He highlights that metrics like velocity and backlog size are often just vanity metrics. They might make a team look productive on the surface, but they don’t necessarily reflect the value being created.

Instead, PMs should focus on outcome-based metrics, such as user engagement, customer satisfaction (NPS, CSAT, etc.), or revenue impact. And keep track of those metrics closely using an effective tool.

Here’s how you can start making an impact:

• Set clear, measurable goals: Define what success looks like in terms of value delivered to both users and the business.
• Continuously assess progress: Use data and user feedback to evaluate if your work is driving the desired outcomes.
• Be ready to pivot: If a feature or initiative isn’t delivering the expected results, be willing to change course rather than doubling down on output.

Refine product strategy based on continuous product discovery

A static product strategy is a recipe for irrelevance. David says continuous product discovery is important to ensure that your strategy evolves with new learnings and user insights.

The goal is to be adaptable and informed, rather than rigidly sticking to a plan that may become obsolete.

Here’s a structured approach to continuous discovery:

• Start with a clear goal: Define “guardrail metrics” that you need to protect along the way. For example, “increase conversion rate” is too broad. Instead, consider constraints and trade-offs, like maintaining profitability while increasing conversions.
• Understand user behavior: Go beyond superficial observations to understand the natural tendencies and habits of your users. This includes understanding the jobs they’re trying to complete and the context in which they use your product.
• Identify value drivers: Not every problem is worth solving, and not every opportunity is worth pursuing. If something doesn’t contribute to a key value driver, it’s a sign to deprioritize it.
• Move from problem space to solution space: Once you’ve identified a worthwhile problem, brainstorm potential solutions. However, don’t just rush to build—test your assumptions first.
• Test assumptions rigorously: Before committing resources, validate key assumptions. Think about it: Are users willing to pay for this? Do they understand how to use it?
  Can we build it effectively?
• Take the next steps based on evidence: Collect data and feedback from your tests to make decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions.

David stresses that this process is not linear but a dynamic journey. Product managers need to know when to push forward, when to backtrack, and when to pause and reflect. This way, you can remain flexible and ensure your product evolves in the right direction.

Conduct regular product health checks

To avoid slipping into BS product management, David Pereira emphasizes the importance of conducting regular product health checks.

These checks are designed to ensure that your product remains aligned with your strategic goals and continues delivering value to the business and its users.

Here are the critical aspects to evaluate during these health checks:

• Implementation principles: Are you building with long-term quality in mind or using shortcuts to deliver features quickly? David suggests using minimal effort to test ideas quickly and being prepared to address technical debt if the feature proves valuable.
• Measuring outcomes, not output: Revisit the metrics you’re tracking. Are you focusing on output metrics like velocity or measuring real outcomes, like user engagement and business impact?
• Evaluating feature value: Review existing features to determine if they are still adding value. Removing or reworking underperforming features keeps your product lean and focused.
• Learning from failure: If your response to failure is to create rigid processes to avoid the problem, you’re likely harming your product’s potential. Instead, ask, “What did we learn?” and use those insights to iterate and improve.
• Managing the product backlog: Your backlog shouldn’t be a graveyard of forgotten ideas or a “six-year-old Christmas wish list.” Delete old backlog items that aren’t relevant today and prioritize items that align with the current strategy.

What is the future of product management?

The future of product management is a hot topic. Some people even claim that companies won’t need this role in the future.

But that’s far from true, there always must be someone who decides what product to build, its features, pricing, and so on. And if you’re a product manager, you’ll be qualified to fulfill those JTBDs.

Here’s what might change in the future:

• Emphasis on data-driven decision-making. As products become more complex and user expectations continue to evolve, product managers must become well-versed in interpreting data and using it to validate assumptions—not just relying on intuition.
• Growing demand for PMs with technical skills. The knowledge gap between product managers and their engineering counterparts has often created tension. To fix this, either hiring PMs with technical experience or involving engineers in the decision-making process.
• Leaner, more agile product teams. The days of long, exhaustive roadmaps may be numbered. Instead, more companies are adopting a flexible approach to product management, allowing teams to respond to market shifts quickly.
• Specialization in industry and product type. Product management itself is hard, but it gets impossible when you’re a new hire with no time to understand the type of product and the industry of your company. PMs who specialize in specific product types and industries will be more desired in the future.
• Focus on revenue. PMs will need to take more ownership of their products and responsibility for their business impact. They might have joined more sales calls or given demos, while also making decisions aimed at better outcomes (rather than focusing on outputs).

Conclusion

Creating digital products that drive value requires alignment between product strategy, discovery, and delivery, as well as consistent prioritization to ensure distractions don’t sap your energy and drain resources.

Userpilot is a product growth platform with advanced feedback and analytics capabilities. To learn how it can help you improve your product discovery process and make evidence-based decisions, book the demo!

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