#HowIPM · 2026-04-01 · 2 min
Key moments - from our scoring
Substance score
13 / 100
Five dimensions, 20 points each
Adam shares a critical lesson in stakeholder communication: the language PMs use around timelines creates expectations that often feel like hard commitments, even when they shouldn't. The core insight is distinguishing between "it's going to be released tomorrow" (which sounds like a promise) and "we're planning on releasing it tomorrow" or "we're aiming to go live" (which acknowledges uncertainty). Even when code is checked in, QA-approved, and staged, unexpected blockers emerge - management priorities shift, key team members become unavailable, deployment keys go missing. Adam recommends PMs consistently communicate confidence levels based on team estimates rather than definitive ship dates. This approach manages stakeholder expectations while protecting team credibility. The episode is essential for product managers, engineering leads, and anyone coordinating cross-functional releases who struggle with the gap between technical readiness and actual delivery.
Saying "it will be released tomorrow" sounds like a hard promise, while "we're planning on releasing it tomorrow" or "we're aiming to go live" acknowledges that unexpected blockers - management decisions, unavailable team members, or deployment issues - can still prevent the release even when code is QA-approved and staged.
Management could decide the feature is no longer needed during an offsite, the developer with deployment keys could become unavailable, or other unforeseen blockers could emerge - which is why PMs should communicate timelines as estimates rather than guarantees.
PMs should lean on their team's estimates and confidence levels, reporting them to stakeholders - for example, "it should hopefully be by the end of next week" rather than "it's definitely going live next week" to set realistic expectations.
Our reviewer’s read on each dimension, with quotes from the episode.
The entire two-minute episode delivers exactly one tip - use hedged language like 'planning to release' instead of 'will release' - which most working PMs already know intuitively. The intro consumes valuable time with personal filler and the single idea is never deepened or extended.
I'm a thinker, a learner, and a truly terrible chef. I also watch more football than any man in the universe
one of the biggest tips that I've learned, sometimes the hard way is to not use the phrase it's going to be released tomorrow
Hedging estimates and framing releases as plans rather than promises is well-established PM communication advice found in virtually every introductory PM resource; there is no contrarian angle, no first-principles reasoning, and no fresh framing offered.
There's such a subtle difference between that and we're planning on releasing it tomorrow that it took me quite a long time to realize that was the case
you need to explain we're aiming to go live tomorrow
The host provides zero professional credentials - no company, no seniority level, no scale of product experience - introducing himself only through personal trivia, making it impossible to assess whether the advice comes from meaningful practitioner depth.
I'm Adam. I'm a thinker, a learner, and a truly terrible chef. I also watch more football than any man in the universe and this is how I pm
There are no named companies, no real metrics, no timelines with actual data, and no concrete case studies; the only 'examples' are vague hypotheticals like a developer getting hit by a bus or a management offsite cancelling a release.
Management could have had an off site and decide that's not needed anymore. Your developer is the only one with the login, the keys, you know, the releasing hump. He could get run by a bus
This is an unstructured solo monologue with no interviewer, no follow-up questions, and no pushback; the delivery is loose and colloquial with no sharpening of the core idea through dialogue or challenge.
SA.
you really need to lean on your estimates, your team, and give a confidence level. And I'll make sure my team give me their confidence level so that I can report it on all be well, it should be next week
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
A single phrase in how product managers communicate release dates determines whether stakeholders hear an estimate or a commitment. The distinction is subtle enough that most PMs do not catch it until trust has already taken a hit. Adam Race, Head of Product at ITV, shares the phrasing shift that changed how he communicates every timeline. He explains why the default language creates an invisible promise, and how confidence levels give stakeholders a productive way to hear uncertainty. Adam has spent more than a decade in product leadership across ITV, DAZN, and Chelsea FC, managing releases where engineering, editorial, and commercial teams all depend on the same dates. This episode is one of a handful available outside the membership. The rest of the How I PM series is available inside The Product Way. Join The Product Way for the full collection, plus PM Select, our service matching product managers with hiring managers:
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
I'm Adam. I'm a thinker, a learner, and a truly terrible chef. I also watch more football than any man in the universe and this is how I pm. For me, one of the biggest tips that I've learned, sometimes the hard way is to not use the phrase it's going to be released tomorrow.
There's such a subtle difference between that and we're planning on releasing it tomorrow that it took me quite a long time to realize that was the case. I could have personally signed off the ticket. QA said it's fine, it's been checked into git. I've seen it myself.
We could put it on staging, but there still is a reason why it might not go live tomorrow. But if you can communicate to your stakeholders, look, even though it should go live tomorrow, it may not happen because there are like a myriad of reasons. Management could have had an off site and decide that's not needed anymore. Your developer is the only one with the login, the keys, you know, the releasing hump.
He could get run by a bus. So you need to explain we're aiming to go live tomorrow. And the same thing is when you're projecting data, it should hopefully be by the end of next week. You really need to lean on your estimates, your team, and give a confidence level.
And I'll make sure my team give me their confidence level so that I can report it on all be well, it should be next week. Don't say it's definitely going live next week because as we are all aware, it's not always the case. SA.
Other episodes covering the same guests and topics, from across The B2B Podcast Index.
How Small Experiments Improve Team Processes42 / 100Stop Judging Ideas by Job Title31 / 100Stop Putting Features on Your Roadmap43 / 100Tell Your Product Story with a Strategy-Based Roadmap (#HowIPM)31 / 100Tell Your Product Story with a Strategy-Based Roadmap
