The silent interview
Five interviewees approve an idea but show no recent need. · PM Drills · 03 · 30 sec–2 min
The silent interview · 30 sec–2 min
Situation
“Yes, I would probably use that.”
Five people like your proposed task planner. None can recall a recent planning problem or show a workaround.
Think before scrolling
How strong is this evidence?
What would you ask next, and what investment does the current evidence justify?
How a strong PM thinks
Approval is weaker than demonstrated behavior.
Ask about the last planning session, what happened when plans changed, and which tools they used. If the problem rarely occurs or has little consequence, the enthusiastic reaction may not indicate demand.
Seek people with the hypothesized situation and look for existing effort to solve it. A small exploratory test is more justified than a full build based on hypothetical interest.
Takeaway
Look for effort, frequency, and consequences.
People liking an idea does not establish that they will change behavior to use it.