Strategy
Problem Prioritization
Teams often try to solve too many problems at once. This exercise forces you to prioritize. Structured voting helps you reach decisions and commit as a team. Focus on what matters and, more importantly, what you'll ignore to avoid spreading resources too thin.
Duration
20 mins
Group Size
4-8
Category
Strategy
Difficulty
Easy
- Create a shared list of user problems.
- Prioritize problems collectively.
- Consider user impact and implementation difficulty.
- Identify a clear top 3.
- Document problems to address later.
- Prioritized problem list.
- Shared understanding of what NOT to address now.
- Clear criteria for future prioritization.
Avoid these common issues:
The Solution Trap: People will suggest solutions, not problems. Reframe them by asking about the underlying user pain. The solution might not be what they initially think.
Voting Politics: Prevent lobbying during voting. Voting should be individual and silent to ensure honest assessment.
The HiPPO Problem: The Highest Paid Person's Opinion can skew results. Consider secret voting or simultaneous reveals.
Impact vs. Effort Debates: Arguments about impact or effort are normal. Set a time limit (2 minutes max) per disagreement. Then, use the majority position or split the difference.
Quick Wins Are Seductive: Easy, low-impact tasks are tempting but rarely lead to meaningful change. Use them sparingly.
Documenting the 'No' List: Photograph what you're NOT doing to prevent revisiting the same problems repeatedly. This provides context for future decisions.
The Solution Trap: People will suggest solutions, not problems. Reframe them by asking about the underlying user pain. The solution might not be what they initially think.
Voting Politics: Prevent lobbying during voting. Voting should be individual and silent to ensure honest assessment.
The HiPPO Problem: The Highest Paid Person's Opinion can skew results. Consider secret voting or simultaneous reveals.
Impact vs. Effort Debates: Arguments about impact or effort are normal. Set a time limit (2 minutes max) per disagreement. Then, use the majority position or split the difference.
Quick Wins Are Seductive: Easy, low-impact tasks are tempting but rarely lead to meaningful change. Use them sparingly.
Documenting the 'No' List: Photograph what you're NOT doing to prevent revisiting the same problems repeatedly. This provides context for future decisions.
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