From Reacting to Adjusting

Overview This article explains how product managers can shift from constantly reacting to urgent demands to adjusting their processes, preserving quality and credibility. It offers practical steps to assess urgency, set clear criteria, and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

Key Takeaways

• Define what truly constitutes urgency versus priority.
• Use a simple urgency matrix to evaluate requests.
• Communicate trade-offs and realistic timelines early.
• Empower teams to say no when capacity is exceeded.
• Establish post-mortem reviews to improve future response.

Who Would Benefit

• Product managers dealing with frequent urgent requests.
• Engineering leaders overseeing product delivery.
• Technical leads who need to balance speed and quality.
• CEOs and founders wanting better product decision frameworks.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• Urgency/Impact matrix.
• RACI decision-making.
• Continuous improvement retrospectives.