A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019
A polished, well-designed product that doesn't solve the problem you set out to solve is a failure, regardless of its aesthetic or technical merit. The work of staying true to the problem is harder than the work of building the solution.
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A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019Nothing is more certain to cause a project to fail than a misunderstanding of the problem you are solving. The Airbnb social travel team built a beautiful product solving the wrong problem—they thought travelers wanted to hang out together, when the real problem was travelers wanted to find high-quality non-touristy things to do.
What Seven Years at Airbnb Taught Me About Building a Business
Jun 2019Simple projects with vague problem statements circle for weeks; complex projects with strong problem statements sail smoothly. Crystallizing the problem you're solving is the single most important step before solving anything. Misalignment on the problem is invisible waste.
A Three-Step Framework For Solving Problems 👌
Jun 2019Resist the urge to jump to a solution early. A strong problem statement references an unfulfilled need, includes both what and why, is focused enough for one team to own, and can be expressed in a single sentence. The more you need to explain it, the less clear the problem actually is.
How to get into product management
Jun 2019Product intuition is not innate taste—it's the observation of human behavior, trained by data, and applied to software. Like any skill, it develops through deliberate practice and building products yourself.
Gokul Rajaram on designing your product development process, when and how to hire your first PM, a playbook for hiring leaders, getting ahead in you career, how to get started angel investing, more
Jun 2022The biggest pitfall is founders becoming too tactical and dictating features instead of presenting problems. Present the goal—'increase weekly usage from 2x to 5x'—and let the team brainstorm solutions. This creates ownership and prevents the feature factory trap.
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