How do you influence the roadmap when everything requires an ROI?

If you haven't tried the RICE framework to help prioritize in a numerical/data-driven way. try this! RICE Framework (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) Reach: How many users/customers will this feature impact?Example: Number of users affected, target segment size. Impact: What is the expected benefit?Example: Score as High (3), Medium (2), Low (1). Confidence: How certain are you about the reach and impact?Example: High (100%), Medium (80%), Low (50%). Effort: How much work is required?Example: ...Read More

Hot take: requiring ROI for everything is not a winning strategy. Sometimes the best moves are strategic bets without hard data. It's art and science. If you're only building things with clear, quantifiable ROI, you're playing it too safe. Sometimes you're entering a greenfield market that doesn't have robust data yet. Still, you've gotten other signals—analyst reports, early customer conversations, competitive moves—that tell you it's worth the bet. That's the whole point of a strategic bet: Yo ...Read More

The days of easy growth are over in many sectors due to higher capital costs and industry consolidation, which has actually made product managers more receptive to long-term strategic thinking. At LinkedIn, we address this by explicitly allocating our resources across different time horizons. We dedicate a percentage of our resources (around 20%) to immediate 'gap to plan' initiatives that help hit current fiscal goals. Another portion focuses on strategic bets that are 1-2 years out but core to ...Read More

When advocating for long-term initiatives, paint a picture of where the company will end up if you don't invest in these areas - the FOMO approach works well for future-focused initiatives. Forward-thinking companies should already have some longer-term thinking built into their strategic plans, with a percentage of resources dedicated to these initiatives. When proposing long-term strategic initiatives, be explicit about the bet you're making: clearly articulate what you expect to see and in wh ...Read More