With that specific PM, we did daily standups the whole time. The problem is not the meeting format, it's letting a product manager think they're in charge of the technical work. You can't let them think they get to boss individuals around or decide how much work fits in a given time or what language you use.
Will product managers want to do more than is professionally responsible or even possible? Sure. It's their job to want things. Will some people try to get up in your business inappropriately? Also yes. But the answer to that is to set clear boundaries. Product people make product decisions. Technical people make technical decisions. And technical people need to be ready to answer in business terms why particular choices are optimal for the business. As well as being able to self-run the technical team so that others don't feel obliged to step into a power vacuum.
Totally, it's the separation of boundaries. My current company does this a lot better. My previous company the PMs definitely micromanaged the engineering teams
It wasn't squeezed in only when there was room in the sprint, it may not have even been a formal part of the sprint to begin with.
The PM wasn't trying to fill up the entire sprint with everything they could fit that they wanted to deliver. That's not always the case.
> I think it's a mistake to ask non-experts to prioritize things they don't understand.
It is, but many PMs behave where they have to know what everyone is working on each day (standups) and it has to be what their priorities are as well (via the tickets in the sprint which they plan). This PM you worked with was more open. That's wonderful