The Framework Fallacy: Why Product Managers Must Think Beyond RICE & SAFe
Somewhere, in a brightly lit room filled with whiteboards, sticky notes, and way too many cold brews, a product manager just slapped a RICE score on a gut feeling and called it “data-driven prioritization.” If you’re that PM, I see you — and I have questions.
Frameworks. The trusty Swiss Army knives of Product Management. RICE, MoSCoW, Kano, Value vs. Effort, SAFe (pronounced safe, though it rarely is). There’s a framework for prioritizing roadmaps, managing teams, scaling organizations, and even brushing your teeth (probably — someone’s writing that Medium post right now).
But what if we’ve taken our love for frameworks too far? What if, in our noble pursuit of objectivity and repeatability, we’ve duct-taped over something far more essential: actual thinking?