Reference

Product.

A short reminder. Follow a lesson for the decision behind the term.

Problem statement

A description of a user’s obstacle in a particular situation.

Why a PM cares: It keeps solution options open while giving the team a shared outcome to investigate.

A way to describe the progress someone seeks in a specific circumstance.

Why a PM cares: It reveals alternatives and success criteria that feature requests can hide.

A claim the product bet depends on that may not yet be established.

Why a PM cares: The most consequential uncertainty should guide the next test.

An estimate of the reach, frequency, severity, and value of a problem.

Why a PM cares: Ranges and explicit assumptions support investment decisions without false precision.

The smallest useful experience that tests a consequential product assumption.

Why a PM cares: It connects limited investment to evidence for the next decision.

A choice that gains a benefit while accepting a cost or constraint.

Why a PM cares: Naming the sacrifice makes the recommendation assessable and easier to revisit.

A coherent set of choices about whom to serve, which problems to solve, and how to succeed.

Why a PM cares: It provides reasons to prioritize some attractive opportunities over others.

Observable conditions that define acceptable product behavior.

Why a PM cares: They expose ambiguity in business rules, states, and recovery before delivery.