Prioritize
Prioritize the next reversible bet
When several ideas compete for attention, choose the smallest move that can change the next important decision without creating avoidable lock-in.
Primary question
Which next bet can create the clearest signal while remaining cheap to reverse?
Why it matters
The decision behind the output
AI makes it possible to produce many plausible features quickly, which turns prioritization into an allocation problem rather than an idea problem. A backlog can fill with visible outputs while the uncertainty that actually blocks the product remains untouched. The right next move is the one that improves a consequential decision, not the one that creates the most impressive amount of work.
Reversibility matters because early product knowledge changes quickly. A narrow manual workflow, instrumented prototype, or single-segment release can expose the next constraint without forcing the team to defend a large architecture or public promise. The smaller commitment is not timid when it produces the information needed for a larger one.
Watch for
Common mistakes
- Prioritizing visible output over the decision it should improve.
- Treating every request as equally urgent.
Use this sequence
A working framework
- Name the decision the work is meant to improve.
- Prefer the smallest reversible bet that can produce a useful signal.
- Set a review point before committing more effort.
From the field
A field example
Suppose users like an AI-generated report but struggle to trust its recommendations. The team could add more report formats, integrate another data source, or redesign the entire interface. A more useful bet may be one source-linked evidence panel tested on ten real reports. It isolates the trust question, creates observable review behavior, and can be removed or deepened without locking the whole product into a new direction.
Use this threshold
The decision rule
Prefer the smallest bet that tests the most consequential unresolved assumption and produces evidence you will actually review. Name what becomes possible if it succeeds, what changes if it fails, and when the review occurs. Defer work that mainly increases output, polish, or optionality without changing a decision.
Field Notes
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