When PMs can build- what happens to dev and design?
- Cindy Adem
- Apr 20
- 5 min read
The workflow shift that will supercharge your tech team to perform their highest-value work
A week or two ago, I stumbled into a strange new reality.
I was sitting in a meeting with our devs and ops team when I got the infrequent privilege of hearing direct user feedback - an email complaining (loudly) about how inadequate our dashboard was for their needs. The colleague who received the email backed it up immediately, diving into a wishlist of things she wished were possible, things that would make their work dramatically easier.
With a designer living in a different time zone and a full sprint board, I took my colleague aside, jumped into Replit and asked her to dream with me.
Not in theory. In practice.
Up until this point, our process looked like this: Align with stakeholders → sketch flows → write user stories → hand off to design→ reconfirm everything as Product → hand off to engineering → hand off to QA → eventually launch.
But this time, it was different.
With just 1-2 screenshots pulled from our current UI and uploaded into Replit for inspiration, and a few prompts, what unfolded felt like a very 2025 miracle. Within an hour, we had beautiful UI screens, new flows aligned with our design system, and the devs were able to pull the Replit code directly into our system with only minor tweaks.
And suddenly, the traditional playbook — PM → Designer → PM → Engineer → QA → Launch - just felt... outdated.
Changing How We Work (and Think)
When PMs can build, the whole rhythm of a product team changes. It’s no longer about “writing tickets” and “managing workstreams.” It’s about collaboratively evolving ideas in real time - and trusting that the best version will emerge through fast validation, not perfect planning.
We realized we didn’t need to wait a week or two for a "proper" frontend or for room in the sprint board. We didn’t need a full cycle of scrum ceremonies just to test if users cared about a feature. We could ship fast, and learn faster than ever before.
But this also raised a real question: If the PM can push real builds - what do engineers and designers do?
At first, it was a little uncomfortable and I had a no-ego conversation with my team. Everyone in our tech team had to rethink their role.
Engineers Move Up the Stack
When PMs can get scrappy MVPs live, engineers become even more critical, not less.
Instead of spending weeks wiring up the same CRUD app functionalities or pixel-matching the swanky Figma designs, engineers can focus on:
Architecting for scale: Can we set ourselves up for mass access should we need to?
Protecting security and stability: What extra security measures do we need to implement with the AI generated code, including user data protection.
Integrations and infrastructure: How do we connect to external services properly when it’s time to grow?
In our case, engineers became technical advisors early, making sure that the "scrappy build" wouldn't paint us into a corner later. They didn't have to build everything — they guided the build.
When the MVP proved itself, then they came in to rebuild it properly, scalably, beautifully.
Designers Co-Create, Not Just Decorate
Design changed too.
Instead of creating high-fidelity designs first, our designer partnered with me in real-time, giving feedback directly on live prototypes.
We shifted from "deliverable-based design" to "co-creative design."
Early on, they asked:
"Is this flow intuitive?"
"Are we building accessibility in from day one?"
"How will this feel if the user is on mobile?"
Their job wasn't to polish a finished product. It was to make sure user empathy stayed at the center of everything.
Our New Flow: Collaborative, Fast, and Fluid
Today, when we spot an opportunity or a gap, we move differently:
Rapid Alignment: Quick sync with stakeholders to understand the "why" behind the need.
Hands-On Prototyping: PMs (like me!) spin up working prototypes directly in Replit; fast and messy is better than perfect.
Real-Time Feedback: We involve users early, watching where they get excited or stuck.
Collaborative Refinement: Engineers and designers jump in after there's a working draft to polish, extend, and productionize.
Continuous Iteration: Instead of waiting for long sprints, we push small improvements live faster.
It’s less about handing work over, and more about building the first 50% together; then letting specialists take it across the finish line.
What We Learned:
Here’s what became clear really fast:
✅ PM-led MVPs are accelerators, not replacements. They don't eliminate the need for engineers or designers. They make it possible for those skills to be deployed where they matter most.
✅ Validation happens faster and cheaper. Instead of spending two sprints building something users didn’t want, we could find that out in days, sometimes hours.
✅ Craftsmanship still matters, just later. There’s a time for speed and messiness. And there’s a time to clean up, refactor, polish, and scale. The team learned to time these phases better.
✅ Working agreements matter. While usually I would write the product docs and review the design outputs, the script flipped and I build on Replit, and the designer reviews the work, makes suggestions and we make updates. We work the front-end, the devs sort out the back, but we all know and deeply understand the what and why.
Final Thought
When PMs can build, it doesn’t make engineers or designers less valuable. It frees them to do their highest-value work.
It changes the energy of a team from cautious and hierarchical to fast, experimental, and collaborative. It lets user feedback guide the roadmap sooner. It turns product development into what it was always meant to be: A fast-moving conversation between problems, people, and possibilities.
If you’re a PM today, I’ll just say this: The tools are in your hands. Don’t be afraid to build.
And if you’re an engineer or designer?Your skills are about to become even more important; not less.
We’re not replacing anyone. We’re evolving together.
I'm Cindy; a product builder, a relentless optimist, and a firm believer that the next generation of innovation won't be gated by who can write code. It will be driven by those who see possibilities early, who move ideas into action faster than ever before, and who aren't afraid to blur the old lines between dreamers and doers.
The tools are here.The gap between thinking and building is disappearing.And for those willing to step into that space- the opportunities are limitless.
This is just the beginning ✨
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