The Validation Stage
You've gathered a wealth of ideas from various sources—stakeholders, customers, and team members. While the possibilities are exciting, it's crucial to remember that you can't implement everything at once. Some say a PM's primary job is to say "no," as requests are endless but time and resources are limited. The key question is: how do you decide which ideas to prioritize and add to your product backlog?
It's important to remember that everyone believes their idea is the most urgent. Your sales team might insist that one particular feature is critical for closing a major deal. While it's tempting to give in to the loudest voice, a good PM must step back and consider the bigger picture. Every decision should align with the overall product strategy, focusing on what will make the most significant impact rather than simply appeasing the most persistent requester.
Key Questions for Idea Evaluation
To stay on track, ask yourself three key questions about any new idea:
- Should we do it? Does this align with our product vision and corporate strategy?
- How should we prioritize it? Where does this fit in relation to other items in our backlog?
- How should we implement it? What are the technical feasibility, resource requirements, and timeline considerations?
Feature Audit Technique
One helpful technique for evaluating features is the "Feature Audit." This involves examining each feature (or proposed feature) based on two criteria:
- How many people use it (in terms of raw user numbers)
- How often they use it (in terms of frequency)
If a feature is used by a small group but very frequently, it might be a hidden gem worth promoting more broadly. Conversely, a feature with low usage and frequency might be a candidate for removal to simplify your product.
Interactive Feature Audit Tool
Use this interactive feature audit tool to visualize and prioritize your product features. Add your features and see how they map based on user adoption (x-axis) and usage frequency (y-axis).
Add New Feature
The color and position of each feature indicate its importance. Features in the top-right (red) are the most critical, affecting more users with higher frequency, while those in the bottom-left (purple) affect fewer users less frequently. This visualization helps prioritize which features might need more attention or resources.
Validation Approaches
When validating ideas, there are generally two approaches:
- Internal validation: Assess whether the idea aligns with company values, makes financial sense, and is feasible for your team.
- External validation (customer development): Gather feedback from real users through interviews, surveys, or prototypes.
Conducting Effective Interviews
If you choose to conduct interviews:
- Be aware of confirmation bias. Avoid leading questions that make you feel good about your idea.
- Ensure you're talking to the right people. Use screener questions to find potential customers who match your target audience.
- Ask concrete, behavior-based questions. Instead of "Would you like to be healthier?", ask "How many times did you go to the gym last week?"
The "Magic Wand" Question
Try asking: "If you had a magic wand and could create the perfect version of this product, what would it look like?" This can reveal features and improvements you might not have considered.
After thorough research and validation, you'll have a clearer idea of which features are worth building. Move these validated ideas into your backlog, schedule them on your roadmap, and plan out the details. By carefully researching and validating each idea, you ensure that the features you develop solve real problems and resonate with your users—the most crucial task for any product manager.