The fundamentals of prioritization are not too different when you're the first at a company. But in the early stages of a company or product, it's even more important to focus.
At an early stage company, or a new product at an existing company, chances are you're finding product-market fit. When thinking about prioritizing work in that context, you need to be crystal clear on the metrics that matter, and laser focused on moving them.
In my experience, developing and testing hypotheses is a great framework for this stage. You simply can't afford waste, so understanding what you're trying to achieve, and then explaining to yourself why your proposed feature/deliverable/problem will achieve that outcome, is worth spending time on up front.
For everything that you're planning to build, take the time to create a test plan. And always look for the fastest way to disprove your hypothesis.
Here's a simple example plan:
- Hypothesis: "if we do x, we will achieve y" is a good format.
- Method: How will you test this? If you can do it without building any software, so much the better.
- Metrics: How will you know if this passed or failed? Be rigorous here! Failing an idea early can save you later.
- Results: What happened? Document and analyze the actual against your hypothesis.
- Call it: Did it succeed or fail? Invest in the successes, learn from them, and keep repeating the cycle.