What to Consider when Prioritising Work

Decision quality is a critical factor in creating compelling software product experiences. Here are some factors to consider that can help frame decisions.

Photo by Héctor Achautla on Unsplash

The evidence of poor decision-making in software product development is evident all around us. Poor quality in products endures, frustrates and ultimately drives users towards a competitor. Problems are left unresolved, products get more complex over time and alienate their userbase. Technology choices become inhibitors of competitiveness.

So what are some critical factors to keep in mind which could lift the quality of thinking and guard against common reasons for poor decisions?

Understand the problem

Are you leaning toward an option because it seems like it might fix an issue? Do you understand the problem well enough to make that call? What information would you need to be more confident?

It is incredible how often people commit to action without understanding the problem first.

Cultivate and consider the context

Sometimes you have an option to consider and part of what makes it compelling is that it appears to be being used very successfully in another organisation.

Is it really? Are we accounting for the fact that organisations share their practices motivated by factors such as talent attraction and maybe offering a rose-coloured view of the world?