State of Product Management 2026

The question is no longer "should PMs use AI?" but "which AI workflows actually save time?" In 2024, most PMs were experimenting with ChatGPT for ad-hoc tasks. In 2026, AI usage has become structured and specific.

The biggest shift: PMs are building repeatable AI workflows rather than one-off prompts. Teams with structured prompt engineering practices report saving 5-8 hours per week on documentation and research tasks. See our prompt engineering guide for PMs for practical workflows.

The gap between AI-fluent PMs and those who haven't adopted is becoming a career differentiator. 61% of PM job postings now mention AI experience, up from 12% in 2024.

The industry has been talking about outcome-based roadmaps for years. The data shows adoption is real but not universal.

Company size is the biggest predictor: 58% of companies with 200+ employees use outcome-based roadmaps, compared to 29% of startups under 50 people. Startups tend to use Now/Next/Later because it matches their planning horizon. Larger orgs need the accountability structure that outcome-based roadmaps provide across multiple teams. Explore our roadmap type guides to identify the right format for your context.

Despite a decade of alternatives, RICE scoring remains the default prioritization framework in product management. But how teams use it has evolved.

The trend: teams are using RICE scoring as a starting point for discussion rather than a final answer. 67% of PMs report adjusting scores after team debate, suggesting the framework's value is in forcing structured thinking, not in producing a definitive ranking. See our framework comparison to understand the trade-offs between each approach.

After significant growth from 2020 to 2024, PM salaries have stabilized. Entry-level and mid-level roles continue to see increases, but senior and staff-level salaries have flattened.

The VP/Head of Product decline reflects two dynamics: more companies creating the role (supply increase) and tighter budgets at the executive level. The biggest growth area is "AI Product Manager" roles, which command a 15-20% premium at every level. See our Career Path Finder to map out your trajectory.

After years of tool sprawl, teams are actively reducing their PM tool stack. The median PM team uses 4.2 tools for product work (down from 5.8 in 2024).

The notable trend: Notion is eating the documentation and lightweight roadmapping categories simultaneously. 34% of PMs now use Notion as their primary roadmapping tool, up from 18% in 2024. Browse our PM Software Directory to compare tools across categories, or use the PM Tool Picker for personalized recommendations.

More teams report doing continuous discovery work, but the depth and rigor varies significantly.

Only 28% of PMs hit Teresa Torres's "talk to customers every week" bar. The most common blockers: lack of a recruitment pipeline (44%), calendar overload (38%), and organizational resistance (18%). Teams with dedicated research ops support are 3x more likely to maintain weekly customer contact. Start with our user research methods guide and opportunity solution tree framework.

Product ops went from a niche role to a recognized function. 31% of companies with 5+ PMs now have at least one product ops person, up from 14% in 2023.

What product ops teams actually do: tool administration and data pipeline management (89%), process standardization (76%), customer feedback aggregation (71%), roadmap tooling and reporting (65%), and experiment infrastructure (42%).

The pattern: companies add product ops when their PM team hits 5-7 people and process overhead starts consuming 20%+ of PM time. See our product ops glossary entry for a deeper breakdown of the role.