We all know what idealised product management looks like: clear objectives from leadership, aligned stakeholders, empowered teams with autonomy, data-driven decisions, time for continuous discovery, and outcome-based roadmaps. Isa Verschraegen, a fractional PM and CPO, opened her PR_D_CT DAY 2025 talk by painting this picture - and then tearing it apart.
The real world, Isa argues, looks nothing like the textbook. There is no clear strategy. Priorities conflict from every direction. Being 'empowered' just means you own the blame. The roadmap is a wishlist from sales with timelines attached. Leadership is 'figuring things out,' and the company goal is simply 'more revenue.' Her talk offered three concrete tactics for doing meaningful product work despite all of that.
Original Presentation Slides
Download the slides from this talk as presented at the gathering.
Three Paths When Strategy Is Missing
When faced with the gap between idealised product management and messy reality, Isa identifies three paths product managers typically take. The first is Escape: believing that the current company is broken and a better one is out there. The spoiler, she says, is that you find the same problems with a different logo. The second is the Crusade: trying to fix the entire organisation, leadership included. The spoiler here is that you create enemies instead of allies, and you burn out.
