Product Success

A CIO (we no longer work with) once posted signs reading “Perfection is the enemy of the Good Enough” to the entry and meeting room doors of the product and IT floors. The taping and 60pt Times Roman font only reinforced his point. We wanted to complete his thought with “but I want my requests completed perfectly.”

Stakeholders are easily willing to compromise things that aren’t their own. The pressure to achieve perfection in product management across every task can be overwhelming. And, it doesn't need to be..

In reality, you only need to get the important stuff right. The key is identifying what truly moves the needle, what truly builds successful products. It’s about focusing your energy and your team’s efforts on the vital few, so no one gets bogged down in minutiae.

In digital product development and management, getting the important stuff right boils down to four key pillars: the right client, the right product, the right investment, and the right positioning.

So, how do you know when things can slip, when good enough is, well, good enough? It comes down to risk assessment. Create a simple risk assessment matrix. On one axis, plot the likelihood of a negative outcome. On the other axis, plot the severity of that outcome. Prioritize tasks that fall in the high-risk/high-severity quadrant. Tasks in the low-risk/low-severity quadrant are where you can afford to be less than perfect. A slightly delayed internal communication, a minor UI tweak, or a less-than-perfect presentation to a small internal team are often acceptable trade-offs for focusing on more critical tasks.

Learning to differentiate between the vital and the merely important is a crucial leadership skill. Making strategic trade-offs will inevitably be less than perfect. By focusing on the critical few – the right client, the right product, the right investment, and the right positioning – you’ll maximize impact, drive meaningful results, and build truly successful products.

Take some time this week to review your current projects and identify the vital few. Where do you spend most of your energy? Are you focused on things that truly matter? Stop chasing the illusion of perfection. Embrace strategic imperfection. Your product's success—and your sanity—depend on it.