Should Pineapple prioritize expanding our product line or improving existing offerings?

Introduction

The key trade-off we're examining is whether Pineapple should prioritize expanding our product line or improving existing offerings. This decision is critical for our growth strategy and resource allocation. I'll analyze this trade-off by considering our current product portfolio, market position, and potential impacts on various stakeholders.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Context: I'm assuming Pineapple is a tech company with a suite of digital products. Could you confirm our primary product categories and their current market share?

Why it matters: Helps assess the potential impact of expansion vs. improvement Expected answer: 2-3 main product categories with varying market shares Impact on approach: Would influence whether to focus on strengthening core products or diversifying

• Business Context: Based on our current growth rate, I'm thinking we might be in a mature market. What's our YoY revenue growth, and how does it compare to the industry average?

Why it matters: Indicates whether we need aggressive expansion or optimization Expected answer: Growth rate slightly above industry average Impact on approach: Lower growth might prioritize improving existing products

• User Impact: Considering user retention, I'm curious about our current churn rate across product lines. Can you share any insights on user satisfaction and retention metrics?

Why it matters: Helps determine if we need to focus on retaining users or acquiring new ones Expected answer: Varied churn rates across products, with some performing better than others Impact on approach: High churn in certain products would suggest prioritizing improvements

• Technical: Given the potential for expansion, I'm wondering about our current technical infrastructure. How scalable is our platform for adding new product lines?

Why it matters: Assesses feasibility and cost of expansion Expected answer: Moderately scalable with some limitations Impact on approach: Low scalability might favor improving existing products

• Resource: Thinking about our team structure, how are our product and engineering resources currently allocated between maintenance and new development?

Why it matters: Indicates our capacity for taking on new projects vs. improving existing ones Expected answer: 70% maintenance, 30% new development Impact on approach: High maintenance allocation might suggest focusing on improvements first