From time to time, product teams are pulled together to figure out a quick solution to a problem. This sort of urgent + forced collaboration can often be a recipe for confusion and chaos.
A simple way to avoid that is to habitually work through 3 questions in sequential order:
(1) Are we aligned on the problem?
(2) Are we aligned on its importance/priority? (this involves a conversation of the metrics/incentives at play)
(3) Are we aligned on the plan to fix it?
These 3 simple questions are extremely effective in saving conversations from useless tangents and unproductive rabbit holes flow from un-discussed assumptions.
And as with many simple + effective questions, the hard part is not in the knowing. It is in the consistently doing. :-)
