The Role of PMs in Early-Stage Startups

From startups to large enterprises, "how to build a product and how to achieve market fit as quickly as possible" is always a major theme. In particular, with the spread of remote work in recent years and the explosive evolution of AI tools, the roles and collaboration methods of product managers (PMs), CTOs, and engineers have changed significantly. This article summarizes the latest insights on product development in the startup phase, the utilization of AI tools, and the management of remote teams, focusing on the following points.

1. Product Development in the Startup Phase: Speed and Minimal Scope are Vital

The Importance of MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

In the early stages of a startup, the top priority is to release a "minimum viable" product as quickly as possible and obtain feedback from users. This approach provides benefits such as:

• Quickly catching real market reactions

• Not wasting time and resources on unnecessary features

• Accelerating the path to Product-Market Fit (PMF)

The key here is to "repeat hypothesis testing rather than aiming for perfection." The point is to boldly cut unnecessary features and focus on the core value.

The Role of the Product Manager

In startups, it is not uncommon for the CEO, a fractional CTO, or even the engineers themselves to take on the PM role. However, once the team reaches a certain size, whether to hire a dedicated PM becomes a consideration. In that case, it is good to consider the following perspectives:

• Industry Knowledge: In highly specialized fields such as finance or B2B SaaS, a PM who understands the industry structure is at an advantage

• Flexibility: In the initial stage where product specifications and business models change frequently, "cultural fit that can withstand change" is important

• Customer Success Perspective: In B2B, the "user (person in charge of use)" and the "purchasing manager (customer)" are often different. The ability to capture the voices of both is required

2. Remote Work and Global Talent: How to Increase Productivity

Benefits of Remote x Small Teams

• Ability to hire excellent talent from all over the world

• Reducing physical office costs and reinvesting in development resources as needed

• In some cases, development can be done 24/7 while maintaining a sense of speed

On the other hand, it is a fact that friction due to time zone differences and lack of communication is likely to occur. Therefore, the following ingenuity is required:

1. Effective use of asynchronous communication

   • Instead of having stand-up meetings at the same time every day, share updates with each other on Slack or Notion

2. Setting Core Hours

   • When working with members around the world, establish a minimum amount of overlapping working hours.

3. Clarifying and Using Tools Effectively

   • Clearly define roles for tools: use collaboration tools like Miro for specification discussions, GitHub or JIRA for daily progress, and text-based tools like Slack for communication.

3. Leveraging AI Tools: Dramatically Improving Productivity for PMs and Engineers

AI Support for Engineers

• Automated Code Generation: Tools like GitHub Copilot and Cursor suggest code with a sense of "pair programming."

• Code Review Support: AI quickly detects bugs and inefficient implementations.

• Documentation Generation: Automatically creates detailed technical specifications from minimal comments.

However, AI suggestions and outputs do not always contain the correct answer. The eyes of an experienced engineer are essential for final quality assurance.

Key Points for AI Utilization by PMs

1. Accelerating Data Analysis: By having AI support SQL queries and various visualization tools, analysis that previously took hours can be completed in minutes.

2. Consolidating User Insights: Use AI to summarize feedback scattered across G2, Slack, email, and review sites to determine priorities.

3. Document Generation: Improve operational efficiency by having AI write drafts of PRDs (Product Requirement Documents) and customer-facing materials for the PM to finalize.

4. Differences from Large Enterprises: Why a Minimal Team is a Weapon

In large enterprises, because there is already a stable product and customer base, the focus is on operational improvements and adding new features while minimizing risk. On the other hand, for startups, survival is the primary mission. PMs and CTOs are required to adopt a stance of repeating hypothesis testing with "speed as the top priority." Rather than grand roadmaps like those in large companies, quickly cycling through 1-2 week experiments and focusing on areas where traction is gained is a major factor in success or failure.

5. Future Outlook: Small Teams × Advanced AI Utilization Becoming the New Normal

As AI develops, it will become easier for non-technical talent to prototype applications, and the normalization of remote work will allow for collaboration with talent from all over the world. As a result, we will see more examples of products being released and market challenges being taken on by team sizes much smaller than before.

• Increase in Engineer and PM Job Openings: Due to increased work efficiency, the number of projects themselves will increase, and the demand for talent is highly likely to remain high.

• Shifting Skill Sets: Beyond just coding ability, the power to create prototypes at maximum speed by combining AI and external services has become a key differentiator.

• Diversification of Organizational Structures: Models such as fractional CTOs and remote PMs, which leverage talent only when and as needed, are becoming standard.

Because startup product development lacks the stable foundation found in large corporations, the winning strategy is to build a minimal MVP, collect feedback quickly, and iterate continuously. By combining this with remote work and the use of AI tools, it has become easier to achieve significant results even with limited resources. PMs and engineers are expected to prioritize speed and flexibility over technical prowess, and to maintain a stance of facing customers directly, in order to shape products that are resilient to change.

Innovations brought about by the AI era, such as high-speed iteration and hiring talent regardless of region or national borders, will only continue to accelerate. At this juncture, where non-linear growth is expected, PMs, CTOs, and other roles can make market success more realistic by clarifying their objectives and adopting optimal tools and processes.

Deeply understand your users, formulate hypotheses, and continue to verify them quickly. While the core of product development remains unchanged, the tools and ways of working have been significantly updated. Now is the time to embrace new possibilities without fear.