It’s Not Troublesome to Prioritize — You’re Simply Not Ruthless Sufficient | by Avi Siegel | The Startup | Dec, 2024

Let me guess. Your 1 yr 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 all the pieces goes to go swimmingly.

(Everyone knows it gained’t.)

I perceive why this retains occurring to you — I’ve been there, too.

• Gross sales is banging down your door about that enterprise function they swear will land 5 new purchasers (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 couple of 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 insurrection over tech debt that they swear will sink all the product if not addressed instantly (though the system hasn’t imploded but, so who’s to say that is the time it’s going to?)
• Your CPO simply returned from a convention with a Notion doc stuffed with “game-changing” concepts that merely should be carried out instantly (AKA earlier than the subsequent 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 function sounds impactful. Let me see how we will match it in.” (Translation: It’s by no means occurring.)
• “We take all buyer suggestions critically. I’ll add that bug to our analysis queue.” (Translation: Added to the black-hole-that-is-the-backlog.)
• “Technical debt is certainly on our radar. We’ll carve out a while quickly.” (Translation: Possibly subsequent quarter… or the one after that… positively earlier than $#@! hits the fan… though perhaps after…)
• “These are nice concepts! I’ll work them into our roadmap planning.” (Translation: I hope you neglect about them by our subsequent sync.)

Cease. Simply… cease.

It’s simple guilty the state of affairs. Don’t hate the participant hate the sport and all that.

The arduous fact? You’re not failing at prioritization as a result of it’s tough. 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 duty. And your product is paying the worth.

Let’s repair that.

As we already lined, the issue isn’t that prioritization is inherently tough. The frameworks are easy sufficient. The person wants are clear. The information is there. It’s not strenuous to maneuver some objects round within the roadmap view of your job administration system of selection.

The issue is you. Extra particularly, your psychological obstacles to ruthless prioritization:

• You’re petrified of the mere act of claiming “no” (belief me, it’s not as dangerous as you assume)
• From the opposite facet, you’re petrified of what may occur in the event you don’t say “sure” (all the pieces isn’t going to crumble)
• And also you assume you possibly can moderately say “sure” (spoiler: you possibly can’t)

Let’s break down precisely how these fears are sabotaging your means to do your job.

Worry of battle

This isn’t nearly avoiding uncomfortable conversations — it’s a couple of deep-seated aversion to the very position 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 “dangerous man” (though that’s, maybe sadly, what you signed up for)
• You concern damaging relationships (since you assume that they solely discuss to you since you inform them what they wish to hear, not to your smarts)
• You are concerned in regards to the implications in your profession (as if by no means saying “no” can have no detrimental ramifications)
• You’ve confused collaboration with consensus (no, countless debate just isn’t the identical as progress towards the imaginative and prescient)

Avoiding this battle may (may) result in some short-term concord — however you’re selecting that over long-term success. Generally (and even usually, in your place) it takes actual discuss to determine the very best path ahead.

FOMO

Each time one thing occurs (I’m permitting “one thing” to be purposefully imprecise there), your prioritization framework goes out the window in favor of chasing the subsequent shiny (and even boring) object.

This isn’t technique — it’s panic.

• Each competitor announcement turns into a hearth drill, no matter its precise impression on what you are promoting
• Each bug report appears like churn ready to occur, irrespective of how small or unimpactful
• Each function request from a prospect appears like a possible misplaced deal, moderately than helpful information for enter into (ruthless) prioritization

FOMO-driven prioritization isn’t simply reactive — it’s damaging to your product’s id. Once you chase each alternative, you successfully chase none of them properly sufficient to matter.

Actuality distortion

No, we’re not speaking about Steve Jobs’ actuality distortion discipline, we’re speaking about your distortion of actuality.

You’ve created this elaborate fantasy world the place all the pieces 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 gained’t take that lengthy” (and if it does, we will remedy it with extra people who we completely positively have ready within the wings, and it’s not like there’s a legendary man-month or something now we have to fret about)

This delusion goes far past merely making planning tough — it’s additionally destroying your credibility as a product chief. Each time you bask in these snug lies, you’re making it tougher to make the robust selections your product wants.

I do know I’m not the primary particular person to convey 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 record than a strategic plan for a product.

There’s a greater manner.

1. Set up clear worth metrics

This isn’t nearly creating fairly dashboards. It’s about actually having an goal framework that permits “no” to change into your default reply. It’s a protect in opposition to the countless parade of “pressing” requests that aren’t really pressing in any respect.

• Outline one North Star metric that really issues
• Construct out OKRs for every workforce that logically feed up into that North Star, based mostly on every workforce’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 actually price constructing

If a given function is not going to transfer a needle (sufficient) on any of the metrics you’ve collectively agreed are those that matter, then that function doesn’t must be prioritized. (For those who disagree, then the metrics themselves are mistaken, so begin this course of over.)

And by the best way, the metrics must be actual value-driven metrics. Not “person satisfaction” (so imprecise), however “discount in assist tickets for function X by 50%”. Not “improved engagement” (what does that even imply?), however “improve of 25% in each day energetic customers who full core workflow Y”.

When everybody understands how product selections are made, the dialog shifts from countless debate to affordable understanding (albeit doubtless not pure glee on the end result). And that, in flip, results in progress.

2. Audit your present “commitments”

It’s time for some sincere accounting of all these guarantees you’ve been making.

• Listing all the pieces you’ve stated sure to (presumably, the massive stuff is represented by your completely unrealistic roadmap, and the small stuff is an infinitely-long backlog — in the event 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
• Establish what is definitely vital sufficient to maintain on the record, and what must be minimize (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’ll be able to’t be ruthless going ahead in the event you’re dragging each previous dedication alongside for the experience.

3. Formalize a “not doing” record

That is really my private favourite, and it may well simply be extra vital 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 — exhibiting this record after the large record of belongings you are planning to construct will make it robotically very clear why sure selections had been made
• Share it broadly and reference it usually — it’s not a secret, it’s part of the technique
• Replace it often as your technique evolves — don’t be afraid to maneuver objects from the “we’re positively doing this” roadmap to the “we’re positively not doing this” record — the vital 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” record buys you time to do one thing else exceptionally properly. Specializing in a small variety of issues at a time will make the workforce extra environment friendly and productive (which btw makes it that rather more doubtless you really get to that big want record of yours).

4. Study to say “no” — and say it

This complete course of will allow you to say “no” going ahead. However you continue to have to truly 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 workforce, I’ll get again to you”
• Clarify your reasoning by pointing to technique selections and information — “We’re on job to enhance onboarding charge by 50%… fixing that hard-to-track-down edge-casey bug for that one shopper just isn’t going to be impactful towards that aim, please simply attempt turning it on and off once more”
• Provide alternate options when attainable (however don’t promise different/smaller belongings you additionally can’t ship simply to melt the blow) — e.g., as an alternative of promising a full API integration, provide a CSV export; as an alternative of constructing a customized dashboard, share create the identical view of their present BI device; and many others.

The aim isn’t to be tough, it’s to be sincere. Higher to disappoint somebody with the reality in the present day than string them together with maybes ceaselessly.

(or subsequent week, I gained’t choose)

To summarize:

1. Work out the way you’re going to logically determine what to do and what to not do — i.e., decide a prioritization framework that allows you to level and say “see, this is the reason we’re doing A however not B”
2. Have a look at your present record of guarantees and cull the herd — you’ll have a tiny to-do pile and a ginormous not-to-do pile
3. Formalize the not-to-do record — don’t simply delete these things; announce to the world that they’re not occurring
4. Default to saying “no” to future work — let your “sure”es really imply one thing

Keep in mind: You’re not paid to be appreciated. 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” record. (“Sometime” is rarely going to return.)

And cease making an attempt to make everybody blissful. (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 higher good of your product.