Build-or-skip call on a rival's new feature without feedback or usage data

A competitor has just launched a new feature. Leaving aside user feedback and engagement metrics, which other sources of data would you analyze to decide whether your team should build something similar? ```hint Split the decision first Break the build-or-skip call into smaller questions, such as whether the feature is working for the competitor and whether its absence is costing you anything, then ask which evidence could answer each one. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is the product sold to businesses through a sales team, or to consumers? That changes which data exists, such as deal records and proposal requirements versus app-store and web-traffic estimates. - Does "user feedback" exclude only our own customers' feedback, or also public reviews of the competitor's product? - How quickly must the decision be made, and is there budget to buy outside research? - Does the feature serve a segment we already target, or one we do not serve today? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Breaking the decision into the questions the data has to answer - A range of sources beyond feedback and engagement, spanning outside market research, competitor intelligence, commercial data and cost - For each source, the signal it gives and its limits or biases - Combining weak signals into a decision with explicit criteria, including options short of building - Recognizing that a competitor's launch is not, by itself, evidence of demand ### Follow-up Questions - Outside research says buyers want the feature, but your deal records show no losses over it. What do you do? - How would you estimate how many of the competitor's customers actually use the feature, without access to their data? - Leadership wants the feature matched next quarter for the sales pitch, but your evidence says skip it. How do you respond?