Milan Jakovchevski

Full-stack product manager building tools people actually use. 10+ years across code, design, and product.

About

I've spent over 10 years building products from three angles: code, design, product. That stack matters. I can prototype fast, debate engineers on feasibility, and know when design is fighting the user model.

At Personio, I focus on the Performance & Development app. The unglamorous truth: most performance management is theater. Annual reviews nobody believes in. Goals set in January, forgotten by March. Feedback that arrives too late to matter.

We're fixing that. The goal: performance tools teams actually want to use — no HR mandate required.

Product SenseProduct StrategyAI AgentsUX DesignSystem DesignReact / Next.jsPythonSQL
Experience

Lead Product Manager

2021 - Present

Personio

Leading Performance & Development product area. Shipping tools that make continuous performance management actually work, not just exist.

Product Designer & Product Manager

2018 - 2021

H4

Owned the document library product for a LegalTech startup rethinking financial document workflows for some of the world's largest financial institutions.

Front-end Developer

2012 - 2018

Innologica

Full-stack IC at a Swiss tech boutique. Shipped production web products for SMBs across the DACH market — the years that taught me what PMs usually guess at.

Information Architect

2012

4Ward

Where it started. Wore PM, designer, and IA hats before the titles were distinct — structuring information for humans before it was called UX.

Things I've learned

A decade of building products. None of these came from a book.

01

Fall in love with the problem

Stay skeptical of your solution. Most PMs flip this. They fall for their idea, then hunt for problems it solves.

02

Prototype beats PRD

I'd rather show a clickable fake in 2 hours than write 10 pages nobody reads. Code is cheaper than consensus.

03

Ship two-way doors fast

One-way doors slow. Most decisions are reversible. The crime isn't getting it wrong. It's taking three months to try.

04

Good strategy pisses someone off

If your roadmap excites everyone, you're lying to someone. That's how you know it has a point of view.

05

The best product work is invisible

If users notice your feature, you probably over-designed it. Great PM work feels inevitable, not impressive.

Writing

Starter kits, playbooks, and sharp takes on building products with AI tools.

Now

Updated Feb 2026

Based inMadrid, Spain — though frequently in Seville.
BuildingPerformance & Development tools at Personio
Side projectAI agent starter kits for product managers
TrainingPPL (push/pull/legs) split, 6x/week
ReadingTechnofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism

© 2026 Milan Jakovchevski