Cranky PM Archive

Complete archive of Cranky PM content: agile theater fixes, project management dysfunction solutions, and product strategy frameworks.

The Real Reason Product Roadmaps Get Ignored

Sep 1, 2025

•

9 min read

The Real Reason Product Roadmaps Get Ignored

Your roadmap fails because it's built on fantasy. Learn why teams ignore it and explore frameworks that drive real product decisions.

The Cranky PM

How to Do a Project Health Check Without Wasting Everyone's Time

Aug 25, 2025

•

12 min read

How to Do a Project Health Check Without Wasting Everyone's Time

Your project health assessment is killing productivity with status theater. Here's a 30-minute health check that identify real problems instead of wasting time.

The Cranky PM

Agile Without Scrum: Is That Even Allowed?

Aug 18, 2025

•

11 min read

Agile Without Scrum: Is That Even Allowed?

Your scrum theater kills productivity while ignoring agile principles. Focus on outcomes over ceremonies to build software that actually matters.

The Cranky PM

Story Points: The Exhausting Philosophy of Fake Precision

Aug 11, 2025

•

10 min read

Story Points: The Exhausting Philosophy of Fake Precision

Here's why agile estimation is broken, what story points actually measure, and better ways to plan work that doesn't insult everyone's intelligence.

The Cranky PM

Advanced Remote Retrospective Psychology: When Basic Techniques Fail

Aug 4, 2025

•

7 min read

Advanced Remote Retrospective Psychology: When Basic Techniques Fail

Stop running remote retrospectives that change nothing. This complete framework creates timezone accountability, surfaces real distributed work issues, and drives measurable improvement.

The Cranky PM

Remote Retrospectives That Actually Work

Aug 4, 2025

•

6 min read

Remote Retrospectives That Actually Work

Stop running remote retro theater (it's not working). Your distributed team deserves better than polite complaining sessions. Here's how to fix real problems.

The Cranky PM

The Uncomfortable Questions That Actually Fix Remote Retrospectives

Aug 4, 2025

•

3 min read

The Uncomfortable Questions That Actually Fix Remote Retrospectives

Start asking questions that surface real remote work problems. Here are the uncomfortable conversations your distributed team needs to have.

The Cranky PM

Your Stakeholders Have No Clue What They Want. Here's What to Do.

Jul 28, 2025

•

5 min read

Your Stakeholders Have No Clue What They Want. Here's What to Do.

Your stakeholder management is failing because they communicate in buzzwords. Learn effective requirements gathering techniques to extract real needs from confused stakeholders and protect your project scope.

The Cranky PM

5-Step Framework for Real Requirements from Confused Stakeholders

Jul 28, 2025

•

9 min read

5-Step Framework for Real Requirements from Confused Stakeholders

Stop playing guessing games with confused stakeholders. This 5-step framework helps you extract real requirements from people who communicate in buzzwords.

The Cranky PM

Advanced Stakeholder Management Tactics When Nice Doesn't Work

Jul 28, 2025

•

5 min read

Advanced Stakeholder Management Tactics When Nice Doesn't Work

When stakeholders won't make decisions and keep changing requirements, you need advanced tactics. Here's how to handle chaos with direct confrontation.

The Cranky PM