Why?
This is a key question product managers should ask. Product managers should always get to the bottom of every issue and the only way to find out is by asking why.
- Why do you need a particular feature?
- Why will this address the problem uncovered in the market?
- Why will it take so long to develop this product?
- Why should we invest money/resources/time in solving this problem?
- Why is it important?
No!
This is probably harder to say when you need to stand up to your development team, executives and customers and tell them no.
- No, these features overcomplicate the product.
- No, this is not part of our roadmap and company vision.
- No, we are not going to customize the product for every customer.
- No, we cannot justify the investment due to the low ROI.
- No, it is time to EOL those products.
There is one more important question that I would add: How much?
- How much is this product worth to the company?
- How much is the customer willing to pay to get this done?
So the next time you use any of those words remember that you are the gatekeeper and by asking those questions you are making everyone stop and re-evaluate their decisions.