Back to First Principles: Rethinking the Use of Frameworks

Product Managers today face a dizzying array of frameworks—discovery, prioritization, strategy, go-to-market, and more. While frameworks can be invaluable, generic, off-the-shelf options rarely solve your specific problem. Tools only help when chosen wisely. The wrong framework—or blindly following a standard template—wastes time, causes confusion, and delivers poor results.

Ask the Right Questions First

Before grabbing a ready-made framework, step back. Are you looking for a decision-making tool, helping to choose a path or prioritize initiatives, or a communication tool, ensuring everyone understands the goal and approach? Begin with first principles:

• What problem are we solving?

• What does success look like?

• What are the key risks?

• Who needs to understand or approve our approach?

  
  

These questions guide whether to adapt an existing model or craft a custom framework more suited to your unique context.

When One Size Doesn’t Fit All

In addition to understanding the problem and outcomes you are trying to achieve, no two organizations are alike. Several organization specific factors shape the framework design:

• Structure: A flat team may thrive on a lightweight approach; a large, layered org might need formal checkpoints.

• Culture: If speed is paramount, rigid frameworks slow progress. If consensus is key, overly loose methods may unsettle stakeholders.

• Market & Strategy: A consumer-focused template often falters in the complexity of a B2B enterprise environment.

• Capabilities: Align the framework with your team’s strengths, whether it’s deep data analysis, user research, or design thinking.

Strategy: Think Beyond Textbook Models

Strategic frameworks—those taught in MBA programs or business bestsellers—often falter when forced into messy real-world conditions. Markets, competitors, and technologies are too dynamic for one-size-fits-all formulas. That’s why strategy frameworks must be highly customized.

For strategic frameworks, it is critical that the Executive team understands and is supportive of the framework being used. Even the most elegant model fails if it doesn’t resonate with the people who will act on it.

In Conclusion: Principles Over Popularity

A popular framework may be comforting, but that doesn’t make it right for your organization. The best approach emerges from returning to first principles, understanding your objectives and constraints, and engaging stakeholders. Don’t pick a template because it’s trendy—pick (or create) one that helps you deliver results.

By starting with the fundamentals, you’ll ensure frameworks move you forward, not hold you back.