Four things we learned from Atlassian’s State of Product 2026

Atlassian’s first ever State of Product 2026 report surveyed over 1,000 product professionals across the US and Europe. The findings highlight how the industry is more influential than ever but is still grappling with the challenges of time pressures, collaboration, product anxiety and concerns about impact. To save you that little bit of extra time, we've summed up some of the most relevant takeaways from the report. Have a read below!

Engineering collaboration comes in too late

Despite engineers being critical to the success of a product, Atlassian revealed that 80% of teams still don’t involve them during ideation, problem definition or roadmap creation.

Image Credit: Atlassian

Collaboration often starts after decisions are made, which leads to missed opportunities and last minute problems that could have been resolved prior to the build. Early involvement of engineering was suggested to be essential to avoid spending on rework and ensure feasibility from the start.

Time constraints impact strategy

Product managers are expected to lead, but 49% of the teams surveyed reported insufficient time for strategic planning, roadmap development, or deep analysis. Execution and concerns over how the product will generate profit became daily life, leaving little room for discovery or prioritisation. In addition, metrics tracking and data analysis often gets neglected in the process. 

AI and productivity for product teams

AI tools are saving product teams 10–60 minutes per day, yet the report outlined how 49% still report lacking time in strategic planning and roadmap development if there are no AI tools being used. 

The report outlines that product teams can gain up to an hour of productivity a day from using AI tools for low skill tasks, product documentation and market research. However, many teams recognise that AI does not help with complex work such as advanced tasks or planning. 

Most product teams were reluctant to use AI tools, despite being stretched for time, due to concerns about data and security. Yet many reported that they wished they had systems in place where they could delegate minor tasks to create more time. Many of those surveyed in the report found that “a lack of integration between AI products and other business tools is the most common barrier holding back AI adoption” seconded by a lack of trust. In addition some teams found it difficult to integrate AI within their work systems.

Image Credit: Atlassian

Holly Donohue, Fractional CPO, told Mind the Product that, "In the last couple of years, Product Management has evolved more rapidly than we've ever seen. AI is a huge driving factor, but so is the economic climate. Investment is harder to get and companies are doubling down on efficiency and impact."

Experimentation is not being prioritised

Only 31% of organisations prioritise rapid experimentation and iterative learning. Many product decisions still rely on opinions or leadership preferences rather than customer feedback, data and thorough research. Without a culture of experimentation, teams risk building products that don’t bring the value they intended to create. 

Product anxiety 

While 85% of product teams feel empowered to lead or influence strategy, 84% still worry their products won’t succeed in the market leading to product anxiety. Visibility and influence are rising but confidence and measurable impact haven’t followed. The report outlines how product leaders must ensure their strategic decisions translate into real outcomes.

Image credit: Atlassian

Aleksas Drozdovskis, Member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences told Mind the Product that: “Being a product company today is harder than ever. The Atlassian report captures a hard truth: 84% of product teams fear their work won’t succeed. And they have reason to. It’s no longer enough to build the right thing – you have to bring it to market in a world that’s crowded, noisy, and brutally fast."

"That’s why we need to reconnect product work with the full 4Ps of the marketing mix: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. If product teams don’t co-own go-to-market, we limit ourselves to shipping features instead of driving business outcomes. It also means building fast and validating fast. Yet 40% of teams report limited or no experimentation. That’s a huge risk – especially at scale.

"Without systems for rapid learning," Aleksas said, "we end up betting on opinions, not evidence. And let’s talk capacity. Most teams are stretched thin, with little time for research, discovery, or even data analysis. But this is where AI can truly empower us as a strategic partner."

Internal politics create barriers

Internal politics remain a barrier in collaboration with 49% of teams citing that this held them back. Nearly half of PMs report that competing incentives and organisational friction caused challenges in their work. Teams often spend more energy navigating stakeholders than solving customer problems and this impacted decision making. 

Key takeaways from the report for product people:

• Prioritise early engineering collaboration – involve engineers from the get go in ideation, problem definition, and roadmap creation to reduce problems later down the line.
• Carve out time for strategy – PMs need dedicated time for roadmap planning, prioritisation and strategic thinking to turn influence into impact.
• Leverage AI where it adds value – automate administrative tasks but ensure humans remain at the centre of decision making.
• Experimenting is key– rapid testing and iterative learning should guide decisions rather than opinions.
• Manage technical debt – balancing short-term delivery with long-term systems is essential for sustainable innovation.
• Navigate internal politics carefully – create incentives and reduce organisational friction to stay focused on problems customers face.

The State of Product 2026 shows that the most successful product teams are those who make their influence count every day and cite that product teams are still feeling “respected, rewarded and challenged at work” overall. However, spending time on planning strategies, embracing experimentation, involving engineers early on and keeping the customer at the centre of every decision can make a real impact.