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A growing feature backlog can make a project look busy without making its purpose any clearer. Before adding another capability, be able to say who it is for, what difficulty they face, and what better outcome they need. If those answers are vague, the next step is discovery—not more code.
Start with three questions
A post by Alpesh Borekar on DEV Community frames the decision with three useful questions: Who is this for? What specific problem does it solve? Would someone actually use it? The post is a prompt for thinking, not proof that feature growth causes projects to fail. Use the questions to expose what the team knows and what it is still assuming.
- Who is it for? Name the people or group affected, rather than saying “everyone” or “our users.”
- What problem do they have? Describe a concrete obstacle in their current situation, not the feature you hope to build.
- Would they use a solution? Look for evidence about how people handle the task now and whether the proposed outcome matters to them.
If the team cannot answer these questions yet, that is a reason to learn more—not a reason to invent a more detailed feature specification.
Understand the user and the task before choosing a solution
Begin with what people are trying to achieve in context. GOV.UK’s Service Standard advises teams to understand users and their needs, including the wider context around a task rather than focusing narrowly on a proposed interaction. A feature request can point toward a need, but it does not establish that the requested implementation is the best way to meet it.
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For the task in question, establish:
- Who is likely to do it, and in what circumstances?
- How do they complete it today—including workarounds, other tools, or help from other people?
- What outcome are they trying to reach?
- Where do they encounter confusion, delay, risk, or frustration?
These questions keep discovery anchored in people’s actual work. Without that context, a team may solve the visible request while missing the difficulty behind it.
Find evidence for the problem
Use research and existing data to check whether the suspected problem is real and important. GOV.UK’s guidance on learning about users recommends researching how people behave and what they need, rather than treating internal suggestions as established facts. Interview or observe actual or likely users where possible; review relevant data that can show how the task is performed and where people struggle.
Keep a clear distinction between what you have observed and what you have inferred. For example, “people abandon this step because it is confusing” is an explanation to verify, not a fact established merely by seeing an incomplete task. A request from a stakeholder or a user’s proposed feature can inform the investigation, but the team should validate the underlying need.
GOV.UK’s Service Standard puts the value of early learning plainly: “Testing your assumptions early and often reduces the risk of building the wrong thing.” That does not mean every idea needs a large research programme. It means choosing a proportionate way to learn before committing to a solution.
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- A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Seventh Edition and The Standard for Project Management (ENGLISH)
Write the need in language users recognise
Once there is evidence of a need, state it as a user’s problem and desired outcome. Keep the wording specific enough to guide decisions, but do not smuggle a feature into the problem statement.
- Feature-shaped: “Users need a dashboard with export buttons.”
- Need-shaped: “People who prepare monthly reports need a reliable way to gather the figures they use, because doing it manually is error-prone.”
The second statement identifies a group, a task, an outcome, and a difficulty. It leaves room to investigate whether a dashboard, an export, a change to the existing process, or some other approach would help. The first assumes the answer before establishing the problem.
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Use words people themselves would recognise. If the team’s wording sounds like an internal roadmap or technical specification, check whether it accurately describes the user’s situation.
Test the riskiest assumption before building more
Discovery is not a promise to delay building indefinitely. It is a way to reduce uncertainty around the decision that matters most. Identify the assumption that would most change the plan if it proved false: perhaps that a particular group encounters the problem, that the problem is frequent or consequential, or that a proposed approach would fit their workflow.
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Then choose a low-cost way to test it. GOV.UK guidance recommends using research, available data, and quick prototypes to test assumptions early. A prototype can help people react to a possible approach, but it is not by itself evidence that the problem exists or that the finished product will succeed. Pair it with questions and observation focused on the user’s task and outcome.
- Write down the assumption. State what the team believes about the user, difficulty, or desired outcome.
- Decide what evidence would change your mind. Make the learning goal explicit before choosing a test.
- Use the smallest useful test. Talk to or observe likely users, examine relevant existing data, or put a quick prototype in front of people when it can answer the question.
- Update the problem statement. If evidence contradicts the original diagnosis, revise it rather than defending the feature already on the backlog.
Choose between adding a feature and learning more
Feature-first work moves quickly when the user, problem, and outcome are already clear. When they are not, another round of implementation can deepen commitment to an untested explanation. A focused discovery step may take longer before coding begins, but it can make the next decision better grounded.
| Decision check | Feature-first work | Further problem discovery |
|---|---|---|
| Affected user | The team can identify who needs the change. | The audience is broad, hypothetical, or disputed. |
| Current difficulty | There is evidence of the obstacle in how people work today. | The obstacle is inferred from a request or internal opinion. |
| Desired outcome | The feature has a clear connection to what people are trying to accomplish. | The team can describe the proposed feature but not the user outcome. |
| Assumptions | The key assumptions are understood well enough to proceed. | A cheap research or prototype test could materially change the decision. |
This is not a rule that research must always come before every feature. It is a way to locate uncertainty. If the important answers are supported, build and learn from use. If they are not, investigate the user’s task and test the riskiest assumption before expanding the backlog.
Make every feature earn its place
For each proposed feature, ask the team to connect it to a specific user, a demonstrated difficulty, and a desired outcome. Then ask what evidence supports that connection and what remains uncertain. If the answer is mainly “we think people will want it,” treat that as an assumption to test, not a settled reason to build.
A clear problem does not dictate one inevitable solution. It gives the team a sound basis for comparing possible solutions—and for deciding that a feature is not needed at all.
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