Aligning Feature Requests to Business Impact

I’ve mentored my teams and many product managers, and a recurring challenge that comes up is this: “How do I become more strategic when the software product isn’t the core offering, but rather an enabler of the core business? When every business unit is pushing for features to better support customers, how do I say no?”

In my view, as a product manager, the job isn't about just saying "yes" or "no" to feature requests—it's about identifying the right opportunities that drive real business value. Developing features can be important, but it’s critical to prioritize and help stakeholders understand which features will make the biggest impact. Here's how I approach these decisions strategically:

1. Start by Understanding the Why

Whenever a feature request comes in, I always ask: Why is this feature important? What problem does it solve? Asking these questions encourages stakeholders to articulate the real business need behind the request. Often, this uncovers better solutions than simply delivering the requested feature.

2. Frame It in Business Terms

Instead of outright rejecting a feature, guide stakeholders to evaluate its business relevance. Ask them:

• What business objective will this feature achieve?
• What metrics will it impact if we develop this?
• Is it aligned with our current strategic goals?
• How does it help our customers solve a problem or achieve their goals?

Using an Impact vs. Effort prioritization model helps stakeholders visualize the bigger picture and focus on business outcomes rather than just feature lists.

3. Propose Alternatives

As a product manager/ leader, you’re in a position to propose better, more efficient solutions. If a request doesn’t align with priorities, suggest alternatives that achieve the same goal. Encourage the team to focus on scalable and impactful options instead of simply building what’s asked for.

4. Review Usage and Impact

For SaaS products especially, it's crucial to review data on how existing features are used. Stakeholders often ask for new features without realizing how under-utilized existing ones are. Analyzing usage data and the business impact of past features can turn the conversation into a data-driven discussion. It can also lead to decisions to sunset certain features or improve functionality instead of adding new ones.

Examples from My Experience:

Ingesting CSV and XLS Files for OEE

A customer once requested the ability to ingest .csv and .xls files for Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) analysis. After deeper discussions, we found that their data was already in a time-series database, but they were manually downloading it. The smarter solution? We built an integration to pull real-time data directly from their time series DB, streamlining their workflow and saving valuable resources.

Eliminating Granular Graphs in Solar Energy Data

In another case, we maintained highly granular graphs for solar energy data, along with a simpler, more user-friendly view. Usage analytics revealed that less than 5% of users engaged with the advanced graphs, and maintaining them was resource-intensive due to API changes. We decided to sunset the advanced graphs, refocusing on the consolidated view and creating self-service and troubleshooting features that provided far greater value to the majority of users.

Driving Long-Term Value

The ultimate goal is to create real value for both your business and customers. By focusing on core problems, optimizing processes, and aligning features with strategic outcomes, you prevent the product from becoming a hotch-potch of features and ensure development efforts deliver long-term growth.

Balancing feature requests with a long-term product vision requires transparency and collaboration. Framing decisions around business impact and helping stakeholders evaluate requests ensures that your team focuses on what truly matters for growth and success.

Impact vs. Effort Prioritization

Here is a simple Impact vs. Effort prioritization model that can help illustrate decision-making:

This framework helps stakeholders see how requests align with the overall business strategy, making prioritization clearer and more objective.