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Product Manager to Developer Ratio: Rule of Thumb & Tips

In the dynamic world of product development, the product manager is at the forefront of ensuring that a product's vision is successfully realized. A critical component of this role is to communicate and collaborate effectively with development teams. The right collaboration between product managers and developers can make the difference between a successful product and one that fails to meet expectations. In this article, we explore some practical tips on the topic and address the question of what the optimal product manager to developer ratio is.

Product manager to developer ratio

The optimal product manager to developer ratio: 1 to 7

You could say that the optimal product manager to developer ratio is 1 to 7, but there is no hard and fast rule for the optimal ratio of product managers to developers, as this depends heavily on various factors, including the nature of the project, the complexity of the tasks, the company structure and culture, and the individual skills and working styles of the team members.

It is usually recommended that a Product Manager should be able to work closely with a team of developers and ensure effective communication. A general rule of thumb could be that a Product Manager should be able to supervise around 4-10 developers. Another rule of thumb is to have 7 people plus or minus 2 in a typical agile product team, which will be supervised by a product manager.

In agile environments, where iterative development cycles are often carried out, the ratio can be different than in traditional environments. It is important that the communication channels are open and efficient, regardless of the defined ratio.

It is advisable to regularly review and adjust the team composition and the number of Product Managers and Developers to ensure that the needs of the project and the organization are met. It is also important that the collaboration between Product Managers and Developers works smoothly to optimize product development.

By the way, if you are still a new manager, I recommend my video with 7 typical mistakes managers make that you should definitely avoid.

Product manager to developer ratio

Product managers and developers: some tips

Regardless of whether you have a "real" product manager to developer relationship, there are a few things you should pay attention to in your collaboration. I have collected a few tips for you here.

  1. Clear communication:

    • Ensure that communication is clear and precise. Define clear requirements and goals for the development teams.
  2. Understand the technology:

    • Continuously educate yourself and develop an understanding of the technical aspects of development. This will facilitate communication and collaboration with the developers.
  3. Prioritization and focus:

    • Set clear priorities for the development tasks. Concentrate on those functions that offer the greatest added value for users or the company.
    • Avoid excessive requirement changes during a development cycle to ensure stability.
  4. Agile Apply methods:

    • Implement agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban to increase flexibility and adaptability in product development.
    • For example, hold regular stand-up meetings to discuss progress, identify obstacles and encourage collaboration.
  5. Use feedback:

    • Collect regular feedback from developers to improve collaboration and optimize processes.
    • Be available for questions and discussions to avoid misunderstandings.
  6. Empathy and teamwork:

    • Show understanding for the developers' challenges and promote a culture of collaboration.
    • Work to create a team feeling where everyone can share their perspectives and ideas.
  7. Share product vision:

    • Ensure that the vision and long-term goals of the product are clearly communicated. This helps to promote the understanding and motivation of the developers.
  8. Continuous improvement:

    • Implement regular retrospectives to identify and implement opportunities for improvement together with the development team. A good Scrum Master is worth their weight in gold – it is worth investing here. 

This last tip brings us to the next section.

"Why do my employees never bring topics to the 1:1 meetings?"

"I'm honestly too often ill-prepared for the 1:1 meetings as a manager."

"My employees don’t open up to me in 1:1s."

"I like this employee, but he's underperforming. How can I address this in 1:1s?"

"I often don't know whether I was too hard – or too soft – in my 1:1s to make a positive impact."

"I can’t identify patterns or trends across my 1:1s. Everything feels isolated."

Product manager to developer ratio

A tool for ambitious agile teams

Tools can also significantly improve your collaboration, such as Echometer. Echometer is the center of your continuous improvement process and can significantly help you deliver your sprint goals on time. It was developed specifically for teams that may not have a dedicated full-time Scrum Master.

On the one hand, Echometer helps with team coaching with a retrospective tool, but also with a one-to-one meeting tool. It focuses on making any team leads from agile teams that have regular one-to-one meetings more efficient.

Make your 1:1 meetings exciting, measure trends and, above all, make progress in the development of your software developers! Try out one of our templates, see below.

No small talk, no awkward pauses. 🥱 This 1:1 template simply always works.

💬 From the template:
  • What achievement are you proud of that I may not have noticed?
  • What small change would immediately improve your work?
  • What would you like to take more time for at work?

...

"Although the product manager to developer ratio is interesting in theory, it is unlikely to play a practical role in a good team on a day-to-day basis."

Product manager to developer ratio

Conclusion - Product manager to developer ratio

Close collaboration between product managers and development teams is critical to the success of a product. By encouraging clear communication, understanding technology, setting priorities and adopting an agile mindset, product managers can create a positive and productive working environment. Continuously improving collaboration, sharing the product vision and developing a strong team culture are key aspects that should not be overlooked. 

Finally, another quick hint: If you would like to know how it feels to develop your team with our tool: You can start an agile retrospective below without logging in, in this case the "Keep, Stop, Start" workshop. 

Alternatively, simply forward our website to the responsible colleagues: www.echometerapp.com.

Open Feedback Questions

Continue: What should we keep?

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FAQ about the 1:1 meeting tool

In Echometer there are two separate software solutions that are available within each workspace in Echometer:

  • 1:1 tool: Software for planning and conducting 1:1 meetings and tracking employee development
  • Retrospective tool: Software for planning and moderating retrospectives and tracking team development through team health checks

Both are independent software solutions, so they can be used separately from each other.

However, they work according to the same principles and aim to achieve the same added value: The continuous improvement of agile teams. In this respect, the simultaneous use of both software solutions is recommended.

Yes, you can assign administration rights to any number of users at both team level and workspace level. Please note the following:

  • Only workspace admins can take out and manage a Echometer subscription for a Echometer workspace.
  • Only workspace admins can create additional teams and name or remove additional workspace admins.
  • Team admins can appoint and remove additional team admins and team members for their team

First, simply register for free in Echometer. Then navigate to the workspace for which you would like to purchase the 1:1 software. If you haven't already done so, you can do so here: Create account in Echometer 1:1 tool

You can then manage your subscription (for both the retro tool and the 1:1 software) within the workspace settings.

You can choose from various payment methods when upgrading.

If you do not have access to your company's credit card yourself, you can simply add a buyer as a workspace admin in your Echometer workspace so that this admin can carry out the upgrade for you.

The best one-on-one meeting tool for managers (especially in agile remote teams) is probably Echometer. Why?

  • Typical HR management software providers (such as Lattice, Leapsome and 15Five) also offer 1:1 tools, but primarily market their complex HR suite and the functions for 1:1 meetings are less mature. In addition, HR software providers focus primarily on the needs of HR departments, not on the needs of employees and managers.
  • While generic tools for meeting transcriptions and summaries (such as Granola, Fellow or Spinach) also provide good summaries just like Echometer, Echometer also offers integrated AI coaching for managers and versatile templates, suggestions for employee development and building blocks for designing effective one-to-one meetings.

So here's a tip: If you're looking for the best one-on-one meeting software, take a look at Echometer's 1:1 tool first. The 1:1 tool from Echometer is even free for an unlimited number of 1:1 meetings with up to 2 employees: Try out the 1:1 tool Echometer

Yes, the Echometer one-to-one meeting software is the only 1:1 tool we know of that gives the manager feedback as an AI coach on how the next one-to-one meeting can be facilitated even better.

Typical tips from the AI coach are, for example:

  • Advice to ask more open and less suggestive questions
  • Use clarifying questions to ensure the same understanding of what is being said
  • Indication of a possibly uneven distribution of speeches or too little structure in the meeting.

The Echometer one-to-one meeting software helps managers to accelerate the development of their employees through the following everyday functions:

  • Hashtags: Making recurring topics recognizable and tracking long-term employee goals
  • Check-ins: Quantitative assessment of any factors relating to the employee's performance or development (including self-assessment)
  • AI coach: Based on the transcript of the one-on-one meetings, managers receive tips and advice on how they can coach their employees even better and involve them in the conversation.

Yes, with the Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software app you can track employee performance and goal achievement:

  • Check-in surveys can be used to measure the performance of employees (based on subjective statements). The assessment can be carried out during the one-to-one meeting (or even before) as a self-assessment by both the employee and the manager. The assessment can then be reflected on together in the one-to-one meeting.
  • Todos and action items for goal tracking and employee performance development can also be recorded in the one-on-one meeting notes.
  • You can also use hashtags in the one-on-one meeting notes to record and track qualitative progress towards employee goals. For example, you can use the hashtag on a measure to assign this measure to the employee goal.

Yes, in the Echometer one-to-one meeting software, both the manager and the employee can create and manage actions and tasks. For each new one-to-one meeting, the outstanding tasks from previous meetings are displayed.

Compared to other software apps for one-on-one meetings, the following functions are unique:

  • While other tools such as Granola are limited to the AI summary, Echometer also uses the transcript for the integrated AI coach for managers
  • In addition, the check-ins (i.e. statements with a scale answer) are a unique function in their concrete implementation in Echometer: employees can answer the statements before or during the 1:1 meetings and then trends are automatically created from the answers.
  • Integration with software for team retrospectives: Echometer is the only tool on the market that integrates software for agile retrospectives alongside the one-to-one meeting software and thus offers all tools for the essential management tasks in agile remote teams from a single source.

The 1-on-1 meeting software Echometer places particular emphasis on the following features that make it unique on the market:

  • AI coach: The 1-on-1 meeting software Echometer records an audio transcript of the meeting and uses an AI to give the manager tips on how to improve the next meeting.
  • Template library: The tool helps managers to discuss the right questions and topics in the one-to-one meeting with a well-founded library of questions and templates in order to develop employees in a targeted manner. The visual, lovingly designed "conversation starters" in particular are rated by managers as valuable icebreakers in 1-to-1 meetings.
  • Employee development KPIs: The software also helps to make trends in employee development historically visible through survey KPIs, so-called check-ins, in a beautiful analysis dashboard. These check-ins can be taken from the library (e.g. job satisfaction, customer focus, etc.) or created flexibly.
  • Employee goals and recurring topics through hashtag management: The flexible hashtag feature makes it easy to record and filter employee goals or other recurring topics, for example to call them up in the annual employee appraisal.
  • Private notes: Echometer offers the option of recording private notes in addition to the notes that are shared with the employee in the 1-on-1 meeting series. This means that these notes are not visible to the employee, but are still stored directly in the same place as the actual 1-on-1 meeting agenda.
  • Direct access to retrospective software: Echometer is the only tool on the market that offers integrated software for agile retrospectives in addition to one-to-one meeting software.

In summary, these features make Echometer one of the best, if not the best, software for remote one-on-one meetings between employees and their managers.

The following are confirmed, independent statements from customers and users of the Echometer one-to-one meeting software:

  • Joël Vierboom, Agile Coach & Team Coach at JTL-Software GmbH: "The software has paid for itself super quickly by saving me many hours of work. I hold a lot of 1-1 meetings and the tool has taken them to a new level in terms of efficiency and productivity!"
  • Michael Engel, Team Lead IT: "It's annoying when you have to change tools for every 1:1 meeting. Since I've been using Echometer, this has changed to – and I even have an overview of the development trends of individual employees. A highly recommended tool!"
  • Ronny Engel, Team Lead Development IoT at SMF GmbH: "I'm thrilled! More structure in our 1:1s, better discussions and ultimately more progress. Props to the Echometer team!"
  • Matt Alioto, Director of Engineering at Smyl Fitness: "One of the things that my own boss has done to support me, is get me a communications coach. And I actually had a meeting with her a couple of days ago and I showed her this [Echometer] feature, and it blew her mind, absolutely."

The Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software offers a generous free plan: managers can hold unlimited free one-to-one meetings with up to two of their employees.

If you want to hold 1-to-1 meetings with more than two employees, you have to switch to a fee-based tariff:

  • Monthly 29€ per manager with an annual subscription, or
  • Monthly subscription of €35 per manager

So you only pay for the 1-to-1 meeting software for managers and not for employees.

Further information on the prices of the Echometer tool for one-on-one meetings can be found here: Echometer Prices One-On-One Meeting Software

The Echometer one-to-one meeting software offers integration with the Microsoft calendar. This synchronizes the appointments from the appointment series with the 1:1 meetings in Echometer.

If, for example, appointments are moved in the Microsoft calendar, the meeting in Echometer is also automatically moved.

Echometer also offers a login with Google. SSO (Single Sign On) is also available in paid plans.

Yes, Echometer's 1-to-1 meeting software offers a generous free plan:

  • Managers can hold unlimited free one-on-one meetings with up to two of their employees.
  • All functions are also included in the free version.

You only need a paid license if you want to hold 1-to-1 meetings with more than two employees. Only one paid license per manager is required. Employees are free of charge.

Further information on the prices of Echometer's tool for On-on-One Meetings can be found here: Prices Echometer's 1:1 Meeting Software Tool

Yes, both the software tool for 1-on-1 meetings and the tool for team retros from Echometer are secure and GDPR-compliant.

Data in Echometer is sent in encrypted form and also stored in encrypted form on servers in Germany.

Several European financial institutions have chosen to purchase Echometer over competitors due to Echometer's stringent data security measures.

Echometer is the best software tool for On-On-One Meetings for the following reasons:

  • Collaborative notes with integrated AI summary (based on the transcript)
  • Integrated AI coach for managers with the option of recording central KPIs for employee development
  • Simple evaluation of trends in preparation for performance reviews and employee coaching –
  • "Everything in one place": Echometer allows the tracking of recurring topics and employee goals via hashtags in the meeting notes, allows private notes for participants and an extensive template library for 1:1 meetings with agenda building blocks.

One-to-one meetings are accordingly very effective for managers with Echometer's software for 1-to-1 meetings and yet simple and time-saving.

Echometer's software for one-to-one meetings can also be tried out on a permanent free plan: Try the best 1-to-1 meeting software for free

The greatest strength of the one-to-one meeting tool Echometer is to increase employee engagement in 1-on-1 meetings. This is made possible by:

  • As a moderator of 1-to-1 meetings, you can fall back on versatile templates for 1:1 meetings
  • The integrated AI coach supports managers in organizing 1-to-1 meetings.

Users confirm that 1-on-1 meetings with Echometer are more fun and more productive than average.

The one-on-one meeting software Echometer has a diverse range of features that make it unique on the market.

  • Agenda management: The interactive and synchronized agenda helps the two participants to set the agenda at an early stage.
  • Notes management: Notes can be transparently recorded at any time in the synchronized agenda by both the employee and the manager.
  • Template library: The tool helps managers to discuss the right questions and topics in the one-to-one meeting with a well-founded library of questions and templates in order to develop employees in a targeted manner.
  • AI summary: The Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software records an audio transcript of the call and summarizes the conversation to save time. In addition, tasks are automatically recorded, thus laying the foundation for preparing the next one-to-one meeting in a time-saving manner.
  • Integrated AI Coach: The one-to-one meeting software Echometer records an audio transcript of the meeting and uses an AI to give the manager tips on how to improve the next meeting.
  • Employee development KPIs: The software also helps to make trends in employee development historically visible through survey KPIs, known as check-ins, in a beautiful analysis dashboard. This allows, for example, the sentiment or mood of employees to be measured over time.
  • Task management: The 1-to-1 software Echometer helps employees and managers to manage action items from the one-on-one meeting in a dashboard so that tasks are not forgotten.
  • Employee goals through hashtag management: The flexible hashtag feature makes it easy to record and filter employee goals or other recurring topics, for example to call them up in the annual employee appraisal.
  • Private notes: Echometer offers the option of recording private notes in addition to the notes that are shared with the employee in the 1-to-1 meeting series. This means that these notes are not visible to the employee, but are still stored directly in the same place as the actual 1-to-1 meeting agenda.
  • Automatic reminders: In the Echometer one-to-one meeting software, you can set both you and your employees to receive a reminder via e-mail before the 1-to-1 meeting. This helps to ensure that the meeting agenda is better prepared on both sides.
  • Calendar integration: The Echometer one-to-one meeting software offers integration with the Microsoft calendar. This means that meetings that are moved in the Microsoft calendar, for example, are also automatically moved in the Echometer calendar.
  • All-in-one dashboard: Echometer offers a dashboard where you can see all employee tasks and results of the last check-in survey KPIs in one place. This helps enormously to get an overview of the status in the team.
  • Direct access to retrospective software: Echometer is the only tool on the market that offers integrated software for agile retrospectives in addition to one-to-one meeting software.

In summary, these features make Echometer one of the best, if not the best, software for one-to-one meetings between employees and their managers.

Echometer's one-to-one meeting software is a tool that supports the conduct of regular one-to-one meetings between managers and employees. Especially in online or virtual remote 1-to-1 meetings, it helps to conduct productive meetings in a time-saving manner thanks to various features.

The 1:1 meeting software from Echometer includes, among other things:

  • Customizable 1:1 meeting templates
  • Collaborative live editor for meeting notes
  • Transcription and AI summary
  • AI coaching tips
  • Library for conversation starters (open questions) and check-ins (scale evaluations)
  • Tracking recurring topics and goals with hashtags
  • Evaluation options for check-ins (scale ratings with comments) to analyze trends in employee satisfaction and other factors
  • Private notes for both participants

Further questions?