PMs Burdened by Clunky Tools

What does it take to keep product teams focused on meaningful work? In this compilation episode, Melissa Perri brings together three product leaders to explore how to cut through overhead, dig into real problems, and resist the pull of shiny technology.

Nan Yu, Head of Product at Linear, shares how clunky tools burden PMs with admin work and how his team uncovers real problems behind feature requests. Andrew Davidson, SVP of Product at MongoDB, explains what makes developers a uniquely demanding audience to build for.

Jody Bailey, CPTO at Stack Overflow, reflects on what went wrong when companies rushed to ship AI without solving real user problems. Together, these leaders show that great product work starts with understanding real people in real moments.

You'll hear us talk about:

• Reducing PM administrative overhead

Nan Yu explains how poorly designed tools push admin work onto PMs. When engineering tools are too clunky, developers disengage and PMs end up doing data entry instead of talking to customers. Speed and directness in tooling keep teams focused on real value.

• Uncovering real problems behind feature requests

Nan shares Linear's approach: anchor every request in a specific moment. His team asks customers when they last felt the need for a feature and what actually happened. This often reveals that the real problem differs from the original ask.

• Staying problem-focused in the rush to adopt AI

Jody Bailey describes the rush companies felt when generative AI emerged and the mistake of shipping AI solutions before identifying real problems. He shares how Stack Overflow is refocusing on core strengths and expanding who it serves.

Episode resources:

Try Granola today: http://granola.ai/productinstitute

Check our courses: https://productinstitute.com/

Episode 233: How Linear Builds Tools Developers Actually Want with Nan Yu

https://www.produxlabs.com/product-thinking-blog/episode-233-linear-ai-nan-yu

Episode 209: From Databases to Developer Platforms: The MongoDB Story with Andrew Davidson

https://www.produxlabs.com/product-thinking-blog/episode-209-andrew-davidson-databases-platforms

Episode 239: Navigating the AI Shift at Stack Overflow with Jody Bailey

https://www.produxlabs.com/product-thinking-blog/episode-239-stack-overflow-ai

Jody Bailey on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodybailey/

Nan Yu on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thenanyu/

Andrew Davidson on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewad/