How to make decisions
Strategy is an over-used word that could mean anything from “idea” to “set of tactics”. Modern product management techniques put a lot of emphasis on ‘scientific’ approaches to strategy, with emphases on talking to customers, collecting and tracking data, and engaging in continuous testing. Despite a firm belief that the data will tell you what to do, many organizations struggle to translate an idea (e.g., “grow the business”) into a strategy (e.g., “pursue customer segment X through marketing and product development plans Y and Z”) and then into a plan (e.g., “step one: collect underpants”). Information and mental models are useful – if you know how to use them. Knowing how to use them means understanding how to reflect on information, assess opportunities and risks, and make commitments and sacrifices. These are the human skills that – so far – no database or framework can substitute. This workshop will teach you how to make sense of information, and to translate that sense-making into decision-making.s
