Three Questions to Guide Product Decisions
From complexity to clarity in product prioritization
In today’s quickly evolving product landscape someone can spend a decent amount of time researching frameworks and solutions to optimize product development, only to find yourself wondering later how nothing appeared to have changed. Considering how artificial intelligence and productivity technology is transforming how we work, this challenge can become more impactful.
Sometimes the change isn’t in the product lifecycle itself, rather it is in the initial priorities that were set at the beginning. While AI can help us move faster and work more efficiently, having clear priorities becomes more important than ever.
It makes sense that many frameworks exist to help guide product leaders and their cross-functional teams on the journey to producing quicker and better outcomes. Sometimes simple frameworks and priorities can be key to a team’s success.
It can be helpful to understand some widely used frameworks in product management today.
Common product prioritization frameworks
Common prioritization frameworks such as ICE, Value vs. Effort, and Cost of delay have their place. There are also larger frameworks that can go more in-depth such as Jobs to Be Done (JTBD).
These frameworks and others can help provide clarity when you need it.
For the times when you need clarity fast and the priorities aren’t completely clear, what is a lightweight litmus test to use?
Three simple questions to help drive product prioritization
When prioritizing a product decision, initiative, or feature, try asking the following three simple questions:
What problem are we solving?
Who are we solving it for?
Why now?
Let’s break down each of these a bit further.
1. What problem are we solving?
It is well-known that seasoned product managers deeply value understanding the problem they are trying to solve.
When trying to solve a problem, the solution usually equates to what needs to exist to solve the given problem. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, however, what is the most optimal in the scenario?
2. Who are we solving it for?
This is the target audience who the problem is being solved for.
Answering this question helps get more laser focused on ensuring that what opportunity you are working on isn’t too broad and directly connects to your ideal customer or user.
3. Why now?
Here comes the beginning of answering the timing and prioritization part of this method.
When you ask yourself ‘why now’ - you can zero in on if now the time is to do this.
Putting these three simple questions into action
When asking and answering these three questions, you end up with answers or artifacts that could look like:
Problem statement - what problem are we solving?
Target audience or market - who are we solving for?
Expected or desired outcomes - why now?
These don’t have to be lengthy but do need to have the core problem to answer thought out more than surface level.
A practical example: Online ordering for bakeries
Let’s take a fictional yet could be real scenario of a new product feature for a CRM focused on bakeries. Bakers consistently share feedback that they want customers to be able to order baked goods directly through their website.
Let’s break down our three simple product questions for this situation:
What problem are we solving?
Bakers are losing potential sales because customers can only place orders during business hours via phone or in person. This creates unnecessary friction in the ordering process and often leads to errors in orders. The different systems for their website and order management add complication that takes time away from what bakers do best, creating amazing baked goods for their customers.
Who are we solving it for?
We’re focusing on small to medium sized bakeries with 1-3 locations that:
Process 20 or more custom orders per week
Currently manage orders through phone calls, email, or paper forms
Have limited staffing resources for order processing
Why now?
The timing becomes clearer when we look at key market signals:
Over 70% of bakery customers now prefer to order online
Competing bakeries are gaining market share through ordering capabilities
There has been a 40% increase in customer requests for this feature in the past quarter
By running this quick litmus test with our three questions we can get the clarity needed to move forward with confidence. The problem is real and does impact business outcomes, we have a clear target user in mind, and the market appears ready to support the timing.
This method can help drive better product decisions without getting slowed down in complex frameworks or unnecessary analysis. Sometimes simpler is better when it comes to product prioritization, especially when you need to move quickly while staying focused on what matters most.
Looking ahead: A framework that scales with change
I’ve seen how product management is evolving with AI. What I find fascinating is that even as our tools and capabilities progress, having a simple framework for prioritization becomes more valuable, not less.
Next time you are faced with a product decision consider giving the three simple product questions a test to see if it helps frame things up better for you and your team. You can also give this a test with an AI agent to run through different scenarios.