4 minute read
We talked to the experts to find out what product management best practices should be prioritized in the new year. So if you want to start 2026 with clarity, confidence, and a smarter product management strategy, keep reading.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to reset priorities, rethink processes, and recommit to what actually drives impact. For product professionals, that might mean finding ways to reduce stress, align with the market, and lead more strategically, especially when resources are tight and expectations are high.
To help kick off the year, we’ve compiled a set of best practices inspired by insights from our instructor team. Whether you want to improve how you use AI, build a more focused roadmap, or reconnect with real customer needs, these new year strategies for product managers are designed to help you make meaningful, measurable progress in 2026.
Make AI Part of Your Routine, Not a One-Off
“Use AI as much as possible in your personal life. In doing so, you will recognize more and more use cases for AI at work.”
— Dan Corbin, Pragmatic Institute Instructor
AI can save time, streamline tasks, and enhance decision-making, but only if you build comfort with it. One of the best ways to uncover practical use cases is to make AI a regular part of your personal routine. When you experience its value firsthand, you’ll start to see how it can drive impact at work too.
Tactical actions:
- Set aside 30 minutes daily for one week to try AI tools for everyday tasks.
- Identify three repeatable product tasks to enhance with AI over the next 90 days.
- Track successes and failures to refine where AI helps you most.
Helpful resource: The Product Manager’s Guide to Using AI in Market Research
Bake the Voice of the Market Into Your Goals
“For product managers and marketers (and leaders), as you are setting your goals and objectives for 2026, remember that people act exactly as we incentivize them to act. For that reason, you must bake voice of the market research into your goals.”
— Paul Young, Pragmatic Institute Instructor
Your goals for the year shouldn’t be built on assumptions. They should reflect what your market actually needs. That only happens when direct customer insight is part of your planning process, not an afterthought. Paul suggests setting a quota for NIHITO visits or qualitative research, such as 10 per quarter per PM.
Tactical actions:
- Set OKRs that include customer conversations as a measurable goal.
- Schedule one NIHITO visit per week this quarter.
- Debrief after each visit and share key insights with your cross-functional team.
Helpful resource: Market Visit Planning Guide
Move from AI-Reactive to AI-Proactive
“Make 2026 the year you move from AI-reactive to AI-proactive.”
— Paul Young, Pragmatic Institute Instructor
Most teams are still treating AI as an experiment. In many situations, individuals utilize it for their own tasks, but without a plan or consistency. Those who see real impact are building consistent, intentional workflows. This year, commit to moving beyond ad hoc usage and toward a more proactive mindset.
Tactical actions:
- Identify a few high-effort tasks that AI could help streamline and run small tests.
- Build simple, repeatable AI habits into your team’s daily or weekly workflows.
- Track where AI is actually saving time or improving clarity so you can scale its use intentionally.
Helpful resource: Reveal and Resolve Product Friction with the Right AI Tools
Stop Saying Yes to Everything
“In 2026, it’s time to stop saying yes to everything and start focusing.”
— Paul Young, Pragmatic Institute Instructor
It’s easy to say yes to everything, especially when expectations are high and resources are limited. But that leads to distraction, burnout, and diluted results. To stay focused, product teams need structured ways to make trade-offs and protect their time.
Pragmatic students learn how to use the Strategy Matrix to evaluate incoming requests, align with company goals, and get cross-functional clarity on what to prioritize. If you’ve taken a course in the past, log into the community for resources. But even if you haven’t taken the course, the principle still applies. Saying yes to the right things starts with being clear on what to say no to.
Tactical actions:
- Block 60 minutes to assess your current initiatives and backlog.
- Define three criteria that must be met before new work is accepted.
- Share your focus areas with stakeholders to reduce pushback later.
Update and Use Your Personas
“It’s more important than ever to make sure we understand our personas and that we are solving problems for and evolving them as the world is evolving. Technology is changing, people’s interactions with it are changing…. so it’s critical (and always has been) that we prioritize the use of formal personas and hold ourselves accountable for updating them and leveraging them across our business.” — Amy Graham, Pragmatic Institute Instructor
Your personas aren’t just a planning tool. They’re a living reference point that helps product, marketing, and sales teams stay aligned around who you’re building for and what truly matters to them. But they only work if they reflect real, current market conditions. If your personas haven’t been reviewed in a year or are sitting in a slide deck no one touches, it’s time to revisit them.
Tactical actions:
- Audit your current personas and flag any that haven’t been updated in the past year.
- Conduct three persona interviews this quarter to validate or revise.
- Share updated personas with product, marketing, and sales to ensure consistent messaging and strategy.
Helpful resource: 2026 Product Readiness Skills for the Next Era
Protect Time for Strategic Thinking
Most product teams get pulled into execution mode quickly. But if you don’t carve out time to think strategically, you’re simply reacting. Protecting time for reflection and planning is one of the most powerful habits you can build.
Tactical actions:
- Block a recurring strategy hour on your calendar starting this week.
- Use it to scan market shifts, revisit assumptions, or map long-term opportunities.
- Capture one actionable insight from each session and track its impact over time.
Tip: Start each session with the question, “What are we assuming that may no longer be true?”
Start 2026 with Intention
These aren’t lofty resolutions. They’re practical habits designed to make your work more focused, more strategic, and more aligned with what your market truly needs. Pick one. Commit for 30 days. Then build from there.
Resources to help you prioritize growth this year:
64 AI Prompts for Product Managers (eBook)
Mastering 11 Core Skills (eBook)
Turning AI into Impact (webinar)
