Stop following "best practices" and start asking these questions instead.
Your backlog is probably full of good ideas, and that’s bad. You can’t do them all, and good ideas are the enemy of great ones. Here's how to find the 10% of initiatives that will drive 90% of your growth:
Whose goal is this? - If your priorities are split into product, marketing, engineering and sales goals, you're already off track. Real growth happens when teams unite around customer goals.
Example: Instead of department goals, prioritise a customer outcome, like “Help more new signups reach the ‘aha moment’ in their first session," and let departments work together to hit it.
If this works, how big can it be? - For each idea, run this test: "If this works perfectly, what's the maximum impact?" If the ceiling is low, move on – regardless of how easy it seems, because of the opportunity cost.
Remember: “Big” means potential impact, not cost, effort, or risk. Some big ideas are cheap, some are expensive. Cost and risk are not reasons to select an idea. (But they’re also not reasons to avoid one!)
Does this make me nervous? Often the best ideas sound bad at first. Breakthrough ideas contradict our beliefs, push us beyond our abilities, and carry significant risk of failure. That discomfort is a signal that you’re breaking new ground. Very few ideas can truly be huge, so rather than dismiss the scary ones, think harder about how you can test them.
Which customer said that?* The best ideas don’t come from newsletters 😏. They come from customer insights that your competitors missed. While it’s tempting to follow “best practices,” consensus tactics yield average results. Which of your ideas emerged from unique observations about your customers?
Remember, 90% of your growth will come from 10% of your ideas, so use these filters to find your 10%.
Build This Into Your Team's DNA
Ready to make this way of working your team's default? We’ll help you build a culture of rapid testing and fearless prioritization - Read how you can work with us.