In a recent LinkedIn post, product leader Shreyas Doshi challenges a pervasive misconception within the product management community: the idea that teams must choose between rapid iteration and sound decision-making. Doshi argues that this is a false dichotomy, asserting that the key to better product decisions lies not in more time, but in enhanced skill.
Challenging the Speed vs. Quality Trade-off
Many product leaders operate under the assumption that moving quickly necessitates compromising on the quality of decisions. This often leads to a culture of rushed choices or a paralysis born from the fear of making a wrong move too swiftly. However, Shreyas Doshi refutes this notion directly, stating:
The most harmful misconception among product leaders is believing they have to choose between moving fast and making good product decisions.
Doshi’s perspective suggests that this perceived trade-off is a symptom of underlying skill deficits rather than an inherent limitation of fast-paced development environments. He posits that the ability to make effective decisions quickly is a cultivated skill, not a matter of simply allocating more time.
The Analogy of Chess Mastery
To illustrate his point, Doshi draws a compelling analogy from the world of chess, referencing Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen. This comparison highlights the difference between brute-force time investment and high-level cognitive ability.
Good product decisions don’t actually take more time, they take more skill.
He elaborates on this by explaining:
Like how Magnus Carlsen sees the best chess move in a few seconds, a move we wouldn’t find even if we had a whole week.
In Doshi’s view, Carlsen’s ability to identify the optimal chess move almost instantaneously is a testament to years of practice, pattern recognition, and deep strategic understanding. Similarly, product leaders who can make swift, high-quality decisions possess a sophisticated understanding of their market, users, and business context. This allows them to navigate complex product landscapes efficiently, avoiding analysis paralysis and accelerating progress without sacrificing strategic integrity.
Cultivating Decision-Making Skill
Doshi’s insights encourage product leaders to focus on developing the core competencies that enable faster, better decision-making. This could involve investing in:
- Data Literacy: Enhancing the ability to interpret and act upon data effectively.
- User Empathy: Deepening the understanding of user needs and behaviors.
- Strategic Thinking: Strengthening the capacity to connect daily decisions to long-term goals.
- Experimentation Frameworks: Implementing robust methods for testing hypotheses quickly and learning from outcomes.
By prioritizing skill development over simply demanding more time, product teams can break free from the false constraint of the speed-quality dilemma. As Shreyas Doshi suggests, the path to both agility and excellence in product development is paved with expertise, not just urgency.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Shreyas Doshi on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on May 20, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →