How to Challenge Authority and Grow as a Project Manager at Alibaba

Author: Liu Bowen (Berwin), known as “95”, author of the bestseller “Deep Dive into Vue.js”, former front‑end technology expert in Alibaba’s Taobao tech department, now responsible for terminal rendering architecture of large marketing events such as 618 and Double‑11.

Recalling his early days in Hangzhou during the pandemic, he reflects on half a year of growth, learning, and achievements at Alibaba.

Courage to Challenge Authority

Be brave enough to challenge authority, discover problems in the existing technical system, and solve them.

He describes his excitement joining the team, the pressure of Double‑11, and his role as a Project Manager (PM) in a high‑risk 618 campaign, which earned him an award for outstanding performance.

Despite the award, his performance review noted that he “did not bring change to the existing technical system”. He realized his purpose was not merely to execute tasks but to improve mature systems.

He learned that challenging authority means identifying flaws in the current architecture and fixing them.

How a PM Advances Projects

He outlines ways to overcome cooperation obstacles: inconsistent information, misaligned goals, and priority differences. Communication, empathy, and escalation are key.

Establishing One's Authority

When product designers (PD) distrust a new PM, he suggests presenting multiple solutions, then involving a supervisor to validate the judgment. He provides two cases of involving supervisors to support decisions.

Project Risk Synchronization

He shares two risk‑sync cases: upgrading the rendering engine for the 88 promotion without informing the business, and under‑estimating schedule risk leading to last‑minute escalation. He stresses the importance of fully communicating plans, risks, and mitigation strategies.

Common Pitfalls

Newcomers often wonder why projects stall or why they need higher‑level help. He emphasizes that most obstacles are not personal shortcomings; escalation is an efficient solution.

Professional Qualities of a PM

Key qualities include an ownership mindset, making critical technical decisions, exposing risks, and mobilizing all available resources.

He repeats the team motto: “All difficulties about things can be solved by persistence; all difficulties about people can be solved by empathy.”

Professional Qualities of a Front‑End Engineer

He stresses the need for a distinctive label, such as “Double‑11 Front‑End PM” or “Under‑30 P8”, and the importance of making one’s work stand out.

Communication Art

Effective communication starts with listening, then presenting objective facts and the correct actions.

He concludes by thanking mentors and expressing confidence in taking on greater responsibilities in the future.

More:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jiuwl_lbw

GitHub Blog: https://github.com/berwin/Blog/issues

Zhihu: https://www.zhihu.com/people/berwin-95/