Graduating from Intuit’s Rotational Product Manager (RPM) program can be one of the biggest milestones for any early career product manager who’s joined the industry from undergrad, business school, or made a career pivot. While the program’s curriculum provides a solid foundation in product craft skills—from writing product requirements documents (PRDs) to A/B testing—the most profound lessons are arguably learned on the job.
In just 2 years, I’ve cumulatively worked with more engineers, designers, products, and gained problem solving experiences that would typically take most PMs around 6 years to get. Take it from me. Following are five lessons learned that have guided me throughout my rotational experiences here at Intuit, from my first feature launch to navigating complex, multi-team projects across timezones.
1. Relationships Are Everything
Early in my career, I was focused on the product: user studies, designs, writing the perfect PRD. But I quickly realized that building great products for millions of users is, first and foremost, a team sport. Relationships are the engine of product development. The trust I built with engineers, designers, marketing partners, and data scientists is what enabled me to move fast and overcome obstacles quickly to deliver for our customers. It was that trust that allowed an engineer to challenge my assumptions and a designer to push back on a feature idea. It wasn’t about being liked; it was about being a trusted partner who respected their expertise and was genuinely invested in the team’s success.
2. I Should Always Be More Technical (up to a point)
As a PM, I should not be coding, but I must understand the architecture, APIs, and the technical trade-offs being made. This isn’t just about earning respect from my engineering team; it’s about making better product decisions by understanding my engineering partner’s perspective. Understanding the complexity of a system allows me to prioritize effectively, identify risks, and avoid building features that are technically infeasible or too costly to maintain. However, my job is not to write the code, but to understand its potential and its limitations for building a better product.
3. Data Should Be at the Core of Every Decision
In a world of opinions, data is my most powerful tool. Every product decision, from a small UI change to a major feature launch, should be grounded in data. This isn’t just about looking at a dashboard; it’s about being data-driven from the start. What does the data tell me about the problem we’re solving? What metrics will I use to define success? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) I’m trying to move? Data provides the conviction I need to make tough calls and the clarity to communicate my vision. If the data isn’t there, my job is to figure out how to get it, whether through user studies, surveys, or a small-scale experiment.
4. I Had to Learn to Be Comfortable with Ambiguity
Product management is a journey into the unknown where being comfortable being uncomfortable is the norm. The most exciting projects are often the ones without a clear path forward, where the customer problem is ill-defined and the solution is not obvious. I would constantly get questions on things that had no answer. My ability to embrace this ambiguity, to break down a daunting challenge into smaller, manageable pieces, was a critical skill. It was about being the steady hand that guided the team through the fog. This involved a bias for action—running small experiments, talking to customers, and building prototypes—to quickly gather insights and reduce uncertainty. A great PM doesn’t wait for clarity; they create it.
5. I Always Ask Myself, “So What?”
This is perhaps the most important question a PM can ask. Every time I present a finding, a recommendation, or a new feature, I challenge myself: “So what?” So what if we have a 5% increase in engagement? What does that mean for our business goals? So what if our competitors are building a new feature? The most important question is, “What does it mean for our customers and our strategy?” This question forces me to connect the dots, to move from a tactical detail to a strategic implication. It ensures that my work is not just busywork but is driving real, measurable impact. It’s how I elevate myself from a feature owner to a true product leader.
Overall, the RPM program was a continuous process of learning and refinement. By focusing on these five learnings: 1) nurturing relationships, 2) embracing technical depth, 3) leading with data, 4) navigating ambiguity, and 5) always asking “so what?” I have built a foundation that will serve me well for years to come.
Interested in the RPM program? Learn more here: Intuit Rotational Product Manager (RPM) program.