• Product Manager

Almost Three Years In: What Product Management at Brightec has taught me

When I joined Brightec in January 2023 as a Product Manager, I expected the role would be about finding balance between user needs and business goals, creativity and practicality, scope and budget.

What’s surprised me most isn’t the responsibilities themselves, but how much the role pushes you to grow: to think more strategically, communicate more clearly, and build stronger relationships every day.

Almost three years on, those lessons have shaped not just how I work, but how I support teams and clients achieve meaningful results.

1. Learning to live in the unknown

Early on, I assumed good Product Managers always had clear answers. I soon discovered the opposite: much of product management is about navigating uncertainty.

At Brightec, projects often begin with broad ideas. My job is to bring structure to that ambiguity by breaking big goals into smaller, testable steps. That might mean running a discovery workshop one day, mapping user flows the next, or simply asking “So… what do we actually mean by that?” until things start feeling real.

Clients don’t expect us to have every answer on day one; they expect us to lead them confidently through the unknown. That’s where I’ve grown the most.

2. Prioritisation: protecting what matters most

At first, I thought prioritisation meant picking the best ideas. I’ve since learned it’s about creating clarity and momentum.

Managing a backlog has taught me that focus is the most valuable currency in any project. Every idea might feel worth exploring, but clear prioritisation isn’t about saying “no”, it’s about saying “yes” to impact.

Frameworks like MoSCoW (Must, Should, Could, Won’t) help turn subjective opinions into shared priorities. When used in workshops, it makes decision-making transparent and collaborative. Everyone can see why something is, or isn’t, being tackled right now, reducing friction and building alignment.

I now approach prioritisation as a collective effort, weighing technical effort, business value, and user need together. The outcome? Clearer focus, more meaningful progress, and confidence that we’re always working on what matters most.

3. Communication builds confidence

If there’s one thing that underpins every successful project, it’s communication.

My job isn’t just to manage tickets or timelines; it’s to create clarity between people who think differently. Developers, designers, and clients each bring unique perspectives, and aligning those viewpoints is often what makes or breaks a project.

Being a Product Manager doesn’t mean being the expert in everything. In fact, it’s often the opposite. My role is to ask the right questions and create opportunities for others to contribute their expertise.

At Brightec, that means building an environment where ideas can flourish. When developers, designers, and clients each have space to share insights, the quality of thinking improves dramatically. Some of our best solutions have come not from one person’s direction, but from collective collaboration.

A big part of my growth has been learning when to lead and when to facilitate, guiding discussions without dominating them. The goal isn’t to prove I know best, but to bring out the best thinking in others.

A single well-timed question can save hours of confusion, and more importantly, it builds trust. For clients, that trust is the foundation of everything else.

4. Data that tells a story

When I first started in product management, I saw data as something technical — charts and dashboards for someone else to interpret. Now I see it as one of the most powerful tools we have.

At Brightec, we use Firebase to track how users interact with the apps we build: which features they use, how often they log in, and how stable their experience is. These insights help us measure the impact of new releases in real-time.

We also track crash-free sessions, a direct reflection of quality and user trust. A 99.95% crash-free rate isn’t just a technical achievement; it’s evidence of reliability and care. Sharing that data with clients gives them a clear, visual story of progress and stability.

Of course, numbers alone can get noisy. That’s why we always pair them with real user and stakeholder feedback. The data reveals what’s happening, and conversations explain why. That balance turns data from static reports into living stories that demonstrate impact and guide continuous improvement.

5. The power of culture and collaboration

One of the things I’m most grateful for at Brightec is our culture of openness and trust. From day one, I was encouraged to ask questions, share ideas, and learn through collaboration.

That environment has accelerated my growth. Through retrospectives, mentoring, and one-to-ones, I’ve learned that strong relationships, within our team and with clients, are the foundation of every successful project.

6. Always Learning, Always Improving

Almost three years in, I’ve realised that product management isn’t about reaching an end goal; it’s about continuous improvement.

Each project deepens my understanding of our clients’ industries, user behaviour, and the balance between competing priorities. That ongoing growth means I now step into projects with more foresight, more empathy, and a clearer sense of how to guide clients toward the best outcomes.

In Summary

Since joining Brightec, I’ve grown from managing single features to leading multiple projects. I’ve learned to listen better, communicate clearer, and make decisions that balance user value, technical feasibility, and business impact.

For our clients, that means projects that run smoothly, teams that stay aligned, and products that deliver meaningful results — on time and within budget (yes, that part of the brief still matters).

I’m still learning every day, and that’s exactly what makes this role so rewarding.

(Click here to read more about how Ben uses KPI's in his role. And here to read a post from our Head of Product, Jotham on his insights as an external Product Manager.)