Any phase · Add-on
Give your PMs clear ownership, then step back
Your PMs grow when they own real problems and decisions. Agree who decides what, and resist taking decisions back.
About 2-4 hoursEvergreenLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Leadership and coaching
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- All
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- All
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- List the main decisions in your area.
- For each, agree who decides: you, your PM or both.
- Write the agreement down.
- Support your PMs' decisions, even when you'd have chosen differently.
- Review the split every few months.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Use clear levels of delegation, from tell to fully delegate.
- Delegate more as trust and skills grow.
- Give your PMs problems to solve, not features to build.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Set delegation norms across your product organisation.
- Spot when leaders are taking decisions back.
- Build a team that can run without you day to day.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Tool examples
- Miro
- Map decisions against levels of delegation.
- Confluence
- Publish the agreed decision split.
Definition of done
- Decisions listed
- Delegation levels agreed
- Review date set
Common pitfalls
- Delegating tasks but not decisions
- Taking decisions back under pressure
- Unclear ownership