By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres argues that product managers make dozens of decisions daily and tend to feel confident about them, yet decision research shows people often make poor choices while believing they are sound. Our minds are very good at rationalizing decisions after the fact, which helps explain why many products and startups fail despite seemingly sound judgment. The post is an opening piece in a series that frames the problem and promises that the same research on decision-making can help product teams course correct. It matters because it asks readers to question their own judgment before trying to improve their process.
01Key takeaways
- Recognize that feeling confident about a decision does not mean the decision was sound.
- Expect your brain to justify past choices, so look for evidence that challenges your conclusions.
- Notice how many small daily decisions accumulate, especially when everything seems urgent.
- Use decision research to identify and correct systematic errors in how you judge options.
- Treat ambiguous data, like conflicting test results, as a prompt to generate and weigh multiple explanations.
02Key sections
- A typical day of rapid decisions
- The author walks through a busy morning of a product leader making quick calls on design feedback, partnerships, headcount, and A/B test results. The scenario illustrates how many small decisions are made under time pressure.
- Feeling confident versus being right
- Most days end with the leader feeling good about their choices, but the post notes that the brain readily justifies decisions after the fact. This creates a gap between perceived and actual decision quality.
- Why products still fail
- Despite confident decision-making, many products and startups never leave beta. The author suggests flawed decision-making may be part of the reason.
- Using research to course correct
- The post closes by noting that decision research can both expose these biases and offer ways to improve, setting up the rest of the series.
03From the post
“This post is part of a series about making better product decisions. "The remarkable thing about your mental life is that you are rarely ever stumped.” - Daniel Kahneman It's Thursday morning. You settle into your office chair, you crack open your laptop, you take a deep breath as you”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.