How do you balance “shipping on time” with ensuring you have the right market insights to prioritize the roadmap correctly? We do 2 week sprints.

This is a classic product tension, building fast and building the right things. The way I balance shipping on time with market insight is by separating strategic prioritization from tactical execution — and creating space for both. Use dual-track planning: At BILL, we run 2-week sprints, but roadmap decisions aren’t made in 2-week increments. I work in parallel tracks: one focused on near-term delivery, the other on discovery and market validation. That way, the sprint team can move with clarity ...Read More

Generally, I think about three fundamental dimensions in product development: time, scope, and resourcing. You will never be able to force all three to your liking, in most cases you will pick two, which in turn determine the third: If you have a team with a given size and you pick a ‘ship date’, you are implicitly making the decision that scope needs to be flexible (i.e., you will have to be OK cutting / adjusting what is getting shipped) If you have a team setup and a clear scope in mind, the ...Read More

“Agile Research” This is a term I coined to describe the act of always conducting user interviews. The problem with well-designed research projects is that they take too long and tend to deliver the insights after you’ve started building the thing. Advocate for a “rolling recruit” of your key personas so that you can tap into talking to users *every week.* This ensures you have feedback and insight in the moment you need it most before the product is built and decisions are made. Alternatively, ...Read More

Balancing timely delivery with market insights isn't about conflicting goals; it's about ensuring we ship the most impactful solutions. Here are some best practices to achieve that: Continuous Market Research: Make market research an ongoing effort beyond sprint planning. Monitor industry trends, analyze competitors, and gather user feedback regularly through surveys or interviews. Proactive effort is key to staying ahead. Groom Your Backlog: Keep your backlog fresh by regularly reviewing and pr ...Read More

Shipping on time only matters if what we’re delivering adds value or helps us learn. We think of it less as “on time” and more as “often and on purpose.” We don’t need perfect market insights to move forward, but we do need a consistent input loop so we can keep adjusting as we go. The market changes, customer needs evolve, and our product understanding deepens. That’s why speed and insight are not in conflict. They reinforce each other when used well. Here’s how we balance speed and insight: Cl ...Read More

Balancing "shipping on time" with ensuring you have the right market insights to prioritize the roadmap correctly is a common challenge in product development. Striking the right balance involves a combination of proactive planning, effective communication, and a continuous feedback loop. Here are some strategies I have used to achieve this balance: Adopt agile methodologies that facilitate iterative development. Break down the development process into smaller, manageable cycles and continuously ...Read More

Two week iterations are very common and can work effectively if you've broken the work down in such a way that you're delivering customer value within each sprint. The question I have is: What does "on time" mean? If you're off by a day a week or even a month, that rarely matters. If yo'ure off by months (plural!) then you have not planned well. And yes, you need to plan. Nothing in Agile says don't plan. You also should have done your research. I'm a big fan of Jared Spool's approach - get the ...Read More