It sounds genius in a startup meeting:
“Let’s have the designer manage the project too. They already know the deliverables.”
Scrappy. Efficient. Budget-friendly.
But fast forward two weeks, and your ‘design sprint’ is stuck in a group chat, timelines are toast, and your ‘designer/PM’ is quietly having an existential crisis in Figma.
Welcome to the chaos of hybrid roles. Let’s break down why blending creative and project leadership often ends in missed deadlines, blurred accountability, and design files that look more like therapy notes than wireframes.
The Myth of the Superhuman Hybrid
In theory, assigning one person to do both design and project management seems lean. Why hire two when one can wear two hats?
But hats have sizes for a reason.
Designers are visual problem solvers. They operate in nonlinear workflows, inspired by mood boards, pixels, and whitespace. PMs, on the other hand, are operational strategists. They juggle timelines, expectations, and cross-functional chaos. Asking someone to do both is like hiring a chef who also runs the dining room. Eventually, something gets cold.
Why It Starts Okay (and Then Doesn’t)
- Week 1: Your designer is pumped. They’re adding tasks in Asana, color-coding timelines, feeling the vibes.
- Week 3: They’re missing standups, forgetting to follow up with devs, and dreading Slack notifications.
- Week 5: “Sorry for the delay, I was deep in revisions” becomes their catchphrase.
- Week 8: The project limps across the finish line, behind schedule, and the team silently agrees: Never again.
The Hidden Costs of the “One-Person Army” Approach
- Design Quality Suffers
Creative flow breaks when you’re constantly switching into logistics mode. The design output becomes rushed, shallow, or overly safe. - Project Timelines Derail
PM work is invisible until it’s missing. Without constant follow-up, small blockers turn into big delays. - Team Morale Tanks
Designers get overwhelmed. Developers get confused. Clients get frustrated. Nobody wins. - Burnout Becomes Inevitable
Creativity needs headspace. Admin work eats that up. The designer ends up resenting both roles and sometimes, your company.
What You Should Do Instead
- Hire a Fractional PM (like yours truly)
Someone who can oversee timelines, coordinate between teams, and protect your creatives from the chaos. - Let Designers Design
When designers have time and mental clarity, magic happens. Give them that space. It pays off in both beauty and usability. - Split Roles with Clarity
Even if one person has hybrid skills, define what percentage of their time goes where. Ambiguity kills momentum.
Final Word: Scrappy Isn’t Scalable
It’s tempting to ask more from your team to save a few dollars or reduce headcount. But the truth? Hybrid roles often lead to hybrid results, a project that looks half-finished and feels half-managed.
Give your designers what they need: direction, time, and space.
Give your projects what they deserve: structure, strategy, and someone steering the ship.
Stop setting your team up for burnout disguised as efficiency.
Let your designer be a designer. Let your PM wear the panic hat… professionally.
Starting to wonder if your team’s wearing too many hats?
When creatives are expected to manage timelines and communication too, progress often slows and burnout creeps in. Bringing in part-time operational support can make all the difference. A fractional DOO or part-time PM can bring clarity, structure, and momentum so your projects run smoother and your team stays focused.
Let’s chat about how I can help.