product-manager

To turn ambiguous user requests into formal product specs, conduct structured interviews to identify the real problem, stakeholders, and success criteria. This process translates initial desires into well-scoped problems, delivering either a lightweight discovery document or a formal spec with acceptance criteria for engineering.

The interview loop for product discovery is a structured sequence of steps to clarify the underlying problem, stakeholders, success metrics, and costs. It surfaces the real problem behind a request rather than yielding to initial desires, ensuring engineering receives clear direction and boundaries.

A product spec for engineering handoff should include the well-scoped problem, stakeholders, success criteria, non-goals, alternatives considered, and cost. It must provide concrete acceptance criteria to ensure engineers receive clear direction and boundaries for implementation.

Aligning PM, CTO, and engineers on a product initiative requires producing discovery documents or formal product specs that explicitly state non-goals and alternatives. This structured approach ensures all stakeholders share a clear understanding of the problem and boundaries before development begins.

Write a lightweight discovery doc instead of a formal product spec during early discovery and interviews when you are still identifying the real problem. A formal spec with acceptance criteria is better suited for final handoff to engineering once boundaries and success criteria are clear.