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Cross-Team Alignment
Same words. Different realities. Higher productivity.
RealityBytesMeArchive Volume 01
Common PM obfuscation phrases
23 cartoons · No deliverables
PM's are the undisputed corporate masters of the shadowy art of organizational subterfuge and reality obfuscation. The bigger the corporation, the more likely it is to have gathered an unhealthy amount of barnacles on the hull, as it sails the corporate seas.
Barnacles are a part of life at sea, and they have a purpose. A ship with too many barnacles will founder or flounder and sink. A ship with no barnacles will be less stable in stormy weather.
Can I get an ETA for the ETA, please?
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Can we take this offline?
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Let’s put a pin in that
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Let’s circle back
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Can you socialize this with the stakeholders?
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I just want to make sure we’re aligned
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Can we get more clarity on the requirements?
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Is there an opportunity to accelerate this?
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Let’s not let perfect be the enemy of good
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Can we do this as a quick win?
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This should be a small change
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Can we make this more agile?
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We need to manage expectations
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Who is the single accountable owner?
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Can you add that to the roadmap?
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Let’s capture that as an action item
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Are there any blockers?
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Can we get a status update?
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We’ll need to escalate this
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Did you get alignment from everyone on this?
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What is the ETA for an ETA?
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Can you shorten your detailed technical essay?
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