Why being good is killing your product
Let me guess. Your 1 12 months roadmap is 5 years lengthy. Your backlog is a graveyard of “perhaps”s that everybody is aware of won’t ever occur. And you retain nodding alongside as if every thing goes to go swimmingly.
(Everyone knows it received’t.)
I perceive why this retains occurring to you — I’ve been there, too.
- Gross sales is banging down your door about that enterprise characteristic they swear will land 5 new shoppers (don’t fear about the truth that ink by no means met paper final time, this time is completely different)
- Buyer Assist has escalated seventeen tickets a few bug that impacts exactly 0.03% of your customers (however one among them is veeeery vocal and retains tweeting angrily on the CEO)
- Engineers are not-so-quietly staging a revolt over tech debt that they swear will sink the complete product if not addressed instantly (though the system hasn’t imploded but, so who’s to say that is the time it’ll?)
- Your CPO simply returned from a convention with a Notion doc stuffed with “game-changing” concepts that merely should be executed instantly (AKA earlier than the following board assembly)
However you’ve been right here earlier than, too. So that you reply with the grace of a seasoned politician.
- “Sure, that enterprise characteristic sounds impactful. Let me see how we will match it in.” (Translation: It’s by no means occurring.)
- “We take all buyer suggestions severely. I’ll add that bug to our analysis queue.” (Translation: Added to the black-hole-that-is-the-backlog.)
- “Technical debt is unquestionably on our radar. We’ll carve out a while quickly.” (Translation: Possibly subsequent quarter… or the one after that… undoubtedly earlier than $#@! hits the fan… though perhaps after…)
- “These are nice concepts! I’ll work them into our roadmap planning.” (Translation: I hope you overlook about them by our subsequent sync.)
Cease. Simply… cease.
It’s simple responsible the state of affairs. Don’t hate the participant hate the sport and all that.
The laborious reality? You’re not failing at prioritization as a result of it’s troublesome. You’re failing since you’re not being ruthless sufficient. Each time you say “perhaps” as an alternative of “no”, each time you add one other merchandise to the backlog as an alternative of clearly rejecting it, each time you attempt to please everybody as an alternative of doing what’s proper for the product — you’re not being strategic or diplomatic. You’re avoiding your accountability. And your product is paying the worth.
Let’s repair that.
As we already lined, the issue isn’t that prioritization is inherently troublesome. The frameworks are easy sufficient. The person wants are clear. The info is there. It’s not strenuous to maneuver some gadgets round within the roadmap view of your activity administration system of selection.
The issue is you. Extra particularly, your psychological boundaries to ruthless prioritization:
- You’re afraid of the mere act of claiming “no” (belief me, it’s not as unhealthy as you suppose)
- From the opposite aspect, you’re afraid of what would possibly occur should you don’t say “sure” (every thing isn’t going to crumble)
- And also you suppose you possibly can fairly say “sure” (spoiler: you possibly can’t)
Let’s break down precisely how these fears are sabotaging your potential to do your job.
Concern of battle
This isn’t nearly avoiding uncomfortable conversations — it’s a few deep-seated aversion to the very function you’re presupposed to play. Product managers are supposed to be the decision-makers, the individuals who make the robust calls that form the product’s future.
However as an alternative, you’re hiding behind processes and frameworks to keep away from taking actual stances.
This isn’t wholesome collaboration — it’s battle avoidance masquerading as teamwork.
- You don’t wish to be the “unhealthy man” (regardless that that’s, maybe sadly, what you signed up for)
- You concern damaging relationships (since you suppose that they solely discuss to you since you inform them what they wish to hear, not on your smarts)
- You are concerned in regards to the implications in your profession (as if by no means saying “no” can have no unfavorable ramifications)
- You’ve confused collaboration with consensus (no, limitless debate shouldn’t be the identical as progress towards the imaginative and prescient)
Avoiding this battle would possibly (would possibly) result in some short-term concord — however you’re selecting that over long-term success. Typically (and even typically, in your place) it takes actual discuss to determine the most effective path ahead.
FOMO
Each time one thing occurs (I’m permitting “one thing” to be purposefully obscure there), your prioritization framework goes out the window in favor of chasing the following shiny (and even uninteresting) object.
This isn’t technique — it’s panic.
- Each competitor announcement turns into a fireplace drill, no matter its precise impression on what you are promoting
- Each bug report appears like churn ready to occur, regardless of how small or unimpactful
- Each characteristic request from a prospect appears like a possible misplaced deal, moderately than helpful knowledge for enter into (ruthless) prioritization
FOMO-driven prioritization isn’t simply reactive — it’s harmful to your product’s identification. If you chase each alternative, you successfully chase none of them nicely sufficient to matter.
Actuality distortion
No, we’re not speaking about Steve Jobs’ actuality distortion area, we’re speaking about your distortion of actuality.
You’ve created this elaborate fantasy world the place every thing is feasible and trade-offs don’t exist.
This isn’t optimism — it’s delusion.
- “We’ll get to it will definitely” (ha, I’m certain)
- “Possibly we will do each” (uh, no)
- “It received’t take that lengthy” (and if it does, we will clear up it with extra those who we completely undoubtedly have ready within the wings, and it’s not like there’s a legendary man-month or something we have now to fret about)
This delusion goes far past merely making planning troublesome — it’s additionally destroying your credibility as a product chief. Each time you bask in these snug lies, you’re making it more durable to make the robust choices your product wants.
I do know I’m not the primary particular person to carry up this matter — everyone talks about being ruthless with prioritization. You hear about it on podcasts, learn weblog posts (like this one! how meta), nod alongside in conferences, perhaps even print out a memey motivational poster displaying a cat who’s being tremendous ruthless (no matter which means for a cat).
However when push involves shove, you (we) nonetheless find yourself with a roadmap that’s extra akin to a toddler’s vacation time want checklist than a strategic plan for a product.
There’s a greater method.
1. Set up clear worth metrics
This isn’t nearly creating fairly dashboards. It’s about really having an goal framework that enables “no” to change into your default reply. It’s a protect in opposition to the limitless parade of “pressing” requests that aren’t truly pressing in any respect.
- Outline one North Star metric that really issues
- Construct out OKRs for every staff that logically feed up into that North Star, based mostly on every staff’s space of possession
- Select a prioritization framework that helps you (and everybody else) visualize, whether or not quantitatively or qualitatively, the thresholds for what is really value constructing
If a given characteristic is not going to transfer a needle (sufficient) on any of the metrics you’ve collectively agreed are those that matter, then that characteristic doesn’t must be prioritized. (In case you disagree, then the metrics themselves are unsuitable, so begin this course of over.)
And by the best way, the metrics must be actual value-driven metrics. Not “person satisfaction” (so obscure), however “discount in assist tickets for characteristic X by 50%”. Not “improved engagement” (what does that even imply?), however “improve of 25% in every day lively customers who full core workflow Y”.
When everybody understands how product choices are made, the dialog shifts from limitless debate to affordable understanding (albeit seemingly not pure glee on the end result). And that, in flip, results in progress.
2. Audit your present “commitments”
It’s time for some trustworthy accounting of all these guarantees you’ve been making.
- Record every thing you’ve mentioned sure to (presumably, the massive stuff is represented by your completely unrealistic roadmap, and the small stuff is an infinitely-long backlog — should you’ve been much less organized, put together for this to take some time)
- Consider every merchandise in opposition to the standards you determined to make use of in step 1
- Determine what is definitely essential sufficient to maintain on the checklist, and what must be reduce (trace: put together the axe, it’s gonna get ugly)
This audit establishes a brand new baseline — each for you, and anybody within the firm who’s listening to what you’re doing. You possibly can’t be ruthless going ahead should you’re dragging each previous dedication alongside for the journey.
3. Formalize a “not doing” checklist
That is truly my private favourite, and it will possibly simply be extra essential than your roadmap. It’s proof of your dedication to focus, written down the place everybody can see it.
- Doc precisely what you’re not constructing — displaying this checklist after the enormous checklist of stuff you are planning to construct will make it mechanically very clear why sure choices had been made
- Share it extensively and reference it typically — it’s not a secret, it’s part of the technique
- Replace it often as your technique evolves — don’t be afraid to maneuver gadgets from the “we’re undoubtedly doing this” roadmap to the “we’re undoubtedly not doing this” checklist — the essential level for everybody to know right here is that the roadmap was by no means assured within the first place (and also you’re making that clear, proper?)
Each merchandise on this “not doing” checklist buys you time to do one thing else exceptionally nicely. Specializing in a small variety of issues at a time will make the staff extra environment friendly and productive (which btw makes it that rather more seemingly you truly get to that big want checklist of yours).
4. Be taught to say “no” — and say it
This whole course of will allow you to say “no” going ahead. However you continue to have to really say it out loud… to folks.
- Be direct and unambiguous — “No, this doesn’t match into the roadmap proper now” vs. “Let me add that to our backlog and discuss to the staff, I’ll get again to you”
- Clarify your reasoning by pointing to technique choices and knowledge — “We’re on activity to enhance onboarding fee by 50%… fixing that hard-to-track-down edge-casey bug for that one consumer shouldn’t be going to be impactful towards that purpose, please simply strive turning it on and off once more”
- Supply options when attainable (however don’t promise different/smaller stuff you additionally can’t ship simply to melt the blow) — e.g., as an alternative of promising a full API integration, supply a CSV export; as an alternative of constructing a customized dashboard, share find out how to create the identical view of their present BI software; and many others.
The purpose isn’t to be troublesome, it’s to be trustworthy. Higher to disappoint somebody with the reality as we speak than string them together with maybes endlessly.
(or subsequent week, I received’t decide)
To summarize:
- Work out the way you’re going to logically resolve what to do and what to not do — i.e., choose a prioritization framework that allows you to level and say “see, for this reason we’re doing A however not B”
- Take a look at your present checklist of guarantees and cull the herd — you’ll have a tiny to-do pile and a ginormous not-to-do pile
- Formalize the not-to-do checklist — don’t simply delete these things; announce to the world that they’re not occurring
- Default to saying “no” to future work — let your “sure”es truly imply one thing
Bear in mind: You’re not paid to be favored. Your job is to construct a profitable product. And that requires you to say “no” to good concepts so you possibly can say “sure” to nice ones.
So cease nodding. (You’re going to harm your neck.)
And cease including issues to your “perhaps sometime” checklist. (“Sometime” isn’t going to return.)
And cease attempting to make everybody pleased. (It’s simply making everybody indignant.)
On the finish of the day, a transparent “no” is healthier than a mendacity “sure”.
Now go disappoint somebody — for the larger good of your product.
