Most product leaders struggle to assess product managers fairly. Here’s a structured and pragmatic way to spot strengths, uncover gaps, and grow PM maturity.
Most leaders will admit this in private: assessing product managers is a mess.
We’ve seen it at startups with three PMs and at corporates with thirty. Everyone’s working hard, everyone looks busy but try to ask, “who’s really good at this job?” and you’ll get five different answers.
One values speed, another praises “strategic vision”, a third only wants less surprises in the roadmap. None of it is wrong, but none of it adds up to a clear, shared view of what good product management actually looks like.
We got tired of watching this play out, so we built a framework to give leaders a structured way to assess product managers effectively.
That’s the playbook we’re sharing here.
Why assessment matters
In practice, a lack of structure quickly becomes expensive. Some product managers drift toward delivery coordination, others lean into strategy. Both profiles can add value in the right context, yet without a shared understanding of what “good” looks like, it’s impossible to scale.
When expectations are unclear, PMs often chase the wrong signals (more features, decks, meetings) instead of developing the skills that really move the product forward. At the same time, leaders struggle to coach effectively. Feedback can become vague: “be more strategic,” “influence better,” “own the roadmap.”
A structured assessment gives PMs visibility on their strengths and growth areas, helps leaders offer meaningful support, and allows the organisation to focus on developing product maturity rather than improvising.
The seven pillars of maturity
When we assess product managers, we look at seven competencies. Put together, they give a map of where someone is strong and where they need support :
Strategy: does the PM connect product direction to company goals, or just manage a backlog?
Discovery: do they uncover customer needs and test assumptions, or jump straight to features?
Delivery: can they help a team ship value consistently, not just hit deadlines?
Leadership: are they able to influence and align, often without formal authority?
Marketing: do they understand positioning, value propositions, and how the product fits the market?
Analytics: do they use data to guide decisions, or rely on instinct alone?
Business acumen: do they see the bigger picture of viability and trade-offs, not just desirability?
Nobody is brilliant in all seven. The point is to know where someone is mature, and where they need to grow.
How teams use the framework
Different organisations use the framework in different ways.
Managers can integrate this approach into one-on-one meetings to transform vague suggestions (e.g., "be more strategic") into actionable goals (e.g., "demonstrate how your roadmap aligns with company objectives").
Others map the whole team against it. One of our clients discovered that almost all of their PMs were strong in delivery but weak in discovery, which in turn explained why they had high velocity but customer outcomes weren’t improving.
It also works for hiring and promotions: instead of relying on interview asumptions, leaders can evaluate candidates consistently across the seven competencies.
And of course, PMs themselves use it for self-assessment. It gives them language to explain where they feel strong, and where they want to grow, making career conversations much more productive.
We’ve applied this framework consistently with our clients, from startup to scale up to large corporations. And we can confidently say that the same gaps come up, from life sciences to fintech.
Some PMs can deliver but never talk to customers. Some are great at analytics but struggle to align stakeholders. Some love the roadmap but forget the strategy.
Does this resonate with how your team works today? If you suspect your PMs could benefit from deeper practice in discovery, strategy, or leadership, our Product Management Training is built exactly for that. It helps product teams turn frameworks like this one into day-to-day habits that drive real outcomes.
What you’ll get in the product manager assessment framework
- A visual overview of the seven competencies
- Clear positive and negative signals for each
- Maturity levels with examples
