Don’t Get Paralyzed
One of the most important things about getting products out the door is being able to call it and…actually get it out the door. The tough part about doing that is not letting yourself become paralyzed by whether or not features are perfect, or competitors have already released them, or they have all the bells and whistles.
The key thing to answer is: does the feature solve a problem? Keep the requirements true to that problem and don’t waver. A feature will never be perfect. There is no such thing as a “silver bullet.” Or, if you believe there is, you can’t rely on them. Make sure you do the work to align features being implemented with your roadmap and go heads-down on them.
One of my best friends Cory taught me about analysis paralysis when I was just starting out in my career. It may sound like something totally cliche, but it happens all the time. PMs must not be afraid to push through this and draw the line. If you don’t have a ton of user data coming in, don’t get discouraged. Someone has to make the call or else things will never really be done. You’re expected to keep the product glued together as you go - not everyone can see this like the PM, and it’s not their job to do so.
Sure, large features can be implemented in stages. Of course. No one should expected anything less. You never get it all in or totally right the first time. But what you can absolutely nail is the fundamentals and actually executing. Does it add value? Is it aligned? Does it have the fundamental capabilities it needs to? Is it usable and clear? If all answers point to “yes” then you have nothing to worry about - just get it done and release it.
