In the spirit of fostering a collaborative environment from the very get-go on a project, take the initiative as UX owner and have a call with the PM. Ideally, you'd like to involve the Engineering lead as well. The intention should be to gain an understanding from the PM on:
📍 Business/Product Goal 📍 Vision 📍 Expectation from UX 📍 Timeline & Prioritization
📍 Set an hour long meeting to understand what the product manager wants to build and why.
📍 Prepare yourself with the most important questions for you (look above)
📍 Invite the lead developer.
📍 Have them lead you through the existing feature and create a very low-fi journey as they talk. Writing bullets works as well.
📍 Take screenshots and important notes.
📍 If no existing feature, take crisp bulleted notes around what they are trying to build and why.
📍 Ask if there are any current features in the offering that are similar. This can help with thinking about the flow design.
📍 Who are the users of this product (or intended users) and does the PM have direct feedback from them?
📍 Size the project to the best of your ability.
📍 What does this initiative mean to the organization. How will it generate revenue? In essence, what is the priority?