How would you approach your first 30 days as a PM on a new team?
Model answer
Model answerThe first 30 days are for learning, not doing. I'd spend the first two weeks listening: 1:1s with every engineer, designer, stakeholder, and customer-facing person I can get. I'd read every document I can find — strategy decks, past retros, support tickets. In week three I'd synthesize: what are the real problems, what do people disagree about, what's everyone afraid to say? In week four I'd present back what I heard and ask if I got it right.
Framework · Stakeholder Alignment
- SStart with listening
No opinions in week 1. Just questions and notes. - TTalk to customers
Get on 3–5 customer calls in the first two weeks — nothing replaces this - AAudit the backlog
What's in there? What's old? What's missing? The backlog reveals the team's assumptions - RReflect back
Synthesize what you heard and share it — it builds trust and surfaces misalignment fast
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