DiscoverProduct Mastery Now for Product Managers, Leaders, and Innovators516: Strategic decision making in product management- with Atif Rafiq
516: Strategic decision making in product management- with Atif Rafiq

516: Strategic decision making in product management- with Atif Rafiq

Update: 2024-11-25
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How product managers can move from ideas to action


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TLDR


In this episode, I speak with Atif Rafiq about how senior product leaders approach strategy development and execution. Atif brings valuable insights from a recent PDMA executive workshop where leaders discussed their real-world challenges with strategic decision making and innovation strategy.


Key topics from our discussion:



  • Main challenges product leaders face when developing strategy

  • A practical framework for exploring product opportunities

  • How AI tools can help with strategic decision making

  • The importance of early-stage product work

  • Ways to improve alignment across organizations

  • Real-world example using a subscription service concept


Introduction


In this episode, I’m interviewing Atif Rafiq, who recently led an executive workshop at the PDMA conference, where senior leaders discussed challenges they face, including navigating ambiguity and making decisions with more clarity. In this episode, he shares some insights from that workshop and his experience in product leadership. Atif has spent 25 years working in both Silicon Valley and Fortune 500 companies, including leadership roles at Amazon, McDonald’s (as their first Chief Digital Officer), Volvo, and MGM Resorts. He has developed a systematic approach to problem-solving that forms the basis of his book, Decision Sprint: The New Way to Innovate into the Unknown.


Key Challenges in Strategic Product Leadership


During our discussion, Atif identifies three main challenges that senior leaders face when developing and implementing product strategy:


1. Alignment Challenges


Business people team sitting around meeting table and assembling wooden jigsaw puzzle pieces unity cooperation ideas conceptOrganizations often struggle to get everyone moving in the same direction:

























Challenge AreaImpactCommon Problem
Problem UnderstandingTeams interpret issues differentlyResources going to wrong priorities
Stakeholder ViewsDepartments focus on different goalsCompeting objectives and metrics
Customer FocusToo much focus on one perspectiveMissing business or operational needs

2. Input and Collaboration Issues


Atif explains that product leaders often struggle to gather useful input and work effectively across teams. Common problems include:



  • Meetings that don’t collect all needed information

  • Difficulty managing different department viewpoints

  • Challenges combining input from multiple sources

  • Time pressures that cut short important discussions


3. Experimentation Challenges


While many organizations value testing ideas, Atif notes several common issues:



  • Starting experiments before understanding the problem

  • Running tests without clear goals

  • Weak links between test results and business strategy

  • Racing through testing without proper planning


Purposeful Exploration: A Better Approach


In our discussion, Atif introduces “purposeful exploration” – a structured way to investigate and test product opportunities. This method helps organizations find balance between rushing into solutions and getting stuck in endless discussions.


Key Elements of Purposeful Exploration






























ElementPurposeActivities
Problem DefinitionGet clear about the challengeTalk to stakeholders, analyze data, study market
Question ListIdentify what we need to learnTeam workshops, AI-assisted research
Testing StrategyCheck our assumptionsSmall pilots, focused tests, data gathering
Making Sense of ResultsDraw useful conclusionsAnalysis, recommendations, team alignment

Real-World Example: Coffee Subscription Service


Two paper cups of coffee with McDonald's and McCafe logo on table near window on background of blurred McDonald's restaurant. Selective focus.During the workshop, Atif walked the senior leaders through an exercise to get buy-in for a coffee subscription service at McDonald’s. Three different groups crafted a problem statement related to this idea and then identified key questions they needed to answer. This example demonstrates how to balance different business needs when exploring a new product idea.


Strategic Questions to Consider


The teams identified key questions, including:






























Business AreaKey QuestionsWhat to Explore
Revenue ImpactWill subscribers visit more often and buy food?Visit patterns, additional purchases
OperationsCan stores handle increased coffee orders?Service speed, staff needs
Customer ValueHow does this work with loyalty programs?Digital integration, easy redemption
Business ModelWhat makes this profitable?Pricing levels, program guidelines

Next, each group shared their questions with the others, and they used AI to compare the breadth and depth of the questions.


Key Insights from the Example



  • Success depends on getting customers to visit more and buy additional items

  • Testing needs to happen in stages to manage operational complexity

  • Digital platform integration affects customer adoption

  • Program rules must work for both customers and the business

  • Workshop participants found they could work much faster when combining team expertise with AI capabilities


Upstream Product Work


Atif emphasizes the importance of early work—the foundation-setting activities before product development starts. He notes that this phase often determines success or failure.


Essential Early Activities






























ActivityPurposeResult
Problem DefinitionGet clear about the challengeShared understanding
Question ListIdentify unknownsFocus areas
Team AlignmentBuild agreementClear direction
Resource PlanningEnsure enough supportAvailable resources

Ritual: An AI Tool to Support Strategic Decision-Making


Double exposure of businessman use laptop with business textDuring our discussion, Atif introduces Ritual, a tool he and his team developed to support strategic decision-making processes. Ritual combines workflow

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516: Strategic decision making in product management- with Atif Rafiq

516: Strategic decision making in product management- with Atif Rafiq

Chad McAllister, PhD