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Aligning Product Decisions with Business Goals

3 MINS

# Aligning Product Decisions with Business Goals

I've worked on products across very different domains: digital solutions for restaurants, workforce management platforms, and identity systems. The common thread? Every successful product decision traced back to a clear business goal.

When that alignment breaks, teams ship features that don't move the needle.

The Alignment Problem

Misalignment usually isn't malicious. It happens gradually:

The business sets annual targets in January.
Product teams interpret those targets into roadmaps.
By Q3, priorities have shifted, but the roadmap hasn't.
Teams deliver what was planned, not what's needed. I've seen this cycle repeat across startups and large organisations. The fix isn't more planning. It's **continuous alignment**.

How I Keep Teams Aligned

A few practices that have worked:

Tie every epic to a business metric. If you can't articulate which KPI a feature affects, question whether it belongs on the roadmap.
Review goals quarterly, not annually. Markets change. Competitors move. Your roadmap should adapt.
Make trade-offs visible. When stakeholders request features, show them what gets deprioritised. This forces honest conversations about what matters most.

The Identity Management Example

In my current role working on identity management, the business goal is straightforward: secure, seamless access for millions of users. Every feature we consider gets filtered through that lens.

Does this reduce login friction? Ship it.
Does this improve security without hurting experience? Ship it.
Does this add complexity for marginal gains? Park it. Simple filters prevent scope creep and keep the team focused.

Alignment Is a Habit

Product-business alignment isn't a one-time exercise. It's a habit you build through regular check-ins, honest retrospectives, and a willingness to change course when the data tells you to.

The best products aren't built by teams that execute roadmaps perfectly. They're built by teams that adapt quickly to what the business actually needs.

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Why Product Managers Should Think Like Business Owners

Background

Nitin skipped presentations and built real AI products.

Nitin Bharathy was part of the September 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 13 other talented participants.