The part I fumbled was jumping straight to 'we prioritize the bugs' without really making the case.
Acknowledge the tension between business urgency and technical debt, then propose a data-driven prioritization that balances both. Show that you can align stakeholders by quantifying the impact of the bugs and the feature, and by exploring options like a phased rollout or a bug-bash sprint.
Pro tip: Frame the recurring bugs as a risk to the feature's success—if the platform is unstable, the new feature may not deliver its intended value. This shifts the conversation from 'bugs vs. feature' to 'how do we ensure the feature succeeds?'
Meet separately with business users and engineering to understand the feature's business value and the bugs' technical impact. Ask for specifics: revenue potential, customer pain, frequency, and severity of bugs.
Use data to assess the cost of delay for the feature and the cost of recurring bugs (e.g., customer churn, support tickets, engineering time). Apply a prioritization framework like RICE or WSJF to compare.
Brainstorm options with both teams: fix critical bugs first, allocate a percentage of sprint capacity to bugs, or deliver a limited feature version while addressing bugs. Consider a phased approach.
Present a recommendation to stakeholders, explaining trade-offs and seeking input. Ensure transparency about risks and timelines, and get agreement on the plan.
Implement the agreed plan, track progress on both bugs and feature, and adjust as needed. Keep stakeholders updated and celebrate wins to maintain trust.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.