When resources are tight and ROI is unclear, I focus on three things: Prioritize customer needs: Addressing high-impact pain points can create immediate value. Validate market demand: Customer feedback and willingness to pay are crucial in de-risking investments. Use a scoring system: This helps objectively assess strategic value vs. effort, ensuring the most impactful features are prioritized.

My approach is to prioritize those that align most closely with the company’s strategic goals. Assessing the potential impact on customer satisfaction and retention is key, and I calculate the estimated ROI by considering both direct and indirect benefits. Additionally, validating the demand with customer feedback helps guide decisions on where to allocate resources.

It’s quite important to understand here as this actually happens in product management. There are lot of ambiguous requests that come and a product manager has to decide to do it or not. Below steps will help you to succeed. 1. Understanding WHY you want to do it. 2. Rough estimation on the impact along with the bandwidth required to build that feature.

To decide on investing in feature requests with uncertain ROI, I would follow these steps: Prioritize Based on Impact: Assess how each feature aligns with business goals and user needs. Prioritize those that address significant pain points or opportunities. Estimate Effort vs. Value: Evaluate the development effort required against the potential value. Consider both quantitative metrics (e.g., revenue potential) and qualitative benefits (e.g., user satisfaction). Gather Data: If possible, conduct user surveys or A/B tests to gauge interest and potential impact before full development. Create a Roadmap: Integrate the features into a strategic roadmap, balancing quick wins with long-term investments.

To evaluate feature requests with uncertain ROI, prioritize based on strategic alignment, potential impact, and resource availability. Start by assessing how each request supports core business objectives and customer needs. Next, estimate potential benefits (e.g., user engagement, retention, or revenue) versus the cost of development. Use frameworks like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) to quantify decisions. If ROI remains unclear, consider testing with a small, low-resource MVP to gather data before fully committing. Regularly reassess the decision based on new insights and market conditions.