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Asana·Product Manager·Onsite - Product Sense / Strategy·Senior

Senior
Jun 2026

Summary

Interviewed for a PM role at Asana, got a prioritization question that sounds straightforward until you're actually in the seat trying to answer it.

Questions Asked (1)

Q1

As a PM, how would you prioritize improving product performance versus building new features?

Roadmap PrioritizationProduct StrategyProduct Sense & Ideation
Author's notes

I went straight to impact framing and talked about user retention signals tied to latency, which felt right in the moment.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Frame the decision as a strategic trade-off tied to company goals and user needs, not an either/or choice. Use a prioritization framework that weighs impact on key metrics, user pain, and business value. Emphasize that both are important but require balancing based on data and context.

Pro tip: Show that you understand Asana's business model and product philosophy—tie your answer to their focus on work management and team collaboration, and mention how performance improvements can directly enable feature adoption and retention.

1. Clarify Goals and Metrics

Start by aligning with company objectives and identifying the key metrics that matter, such as user retention, engagement, or revenue. Determine whether performance issues are blocking these metrics or if new features could drive them.

2. Assess User Impact and Pain

Gather qualitative and quantitative data on user pain points related to performance and unmet needs for new features. Use surveys, support tickets, and analytics to understand severity and frequency.

3. Evaluate Effort and Strategic Fit

Estimate the resources required for performance improvements versus new features, and consider how each aligns with the product vision and competitive landscape. Performance work may be foundational and enable future features.

4. Prioritize with a Framework

Apply a prioritization framework like RICE or weighted scoring to compare initiatives objectively. Include factors like reach, impact, confidence, and effort, and consider dependencies.

5. Communicate and Iterate

Make a recommendation, but be open to revisiting based on new data. Communicate the rationale to stakeholders and ensure the team understands the trade-offs.

Key Points to Mention

  • Balancing short-term wins with long-term product health
  • Using data to quantify performance impact on user retention and satisfaction
  • Considering technical debt and its effect on future feature development
  • Aligning prioritization with company OKRs and product vision
  • The importance of cross-functional collaboration (engineering, design, support)
  • Examples of how performance improvements can unlock new feature adoption

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.