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Strategy & PrioritizationAdvancedPremium
Should We Build This? (Go / No-Go)
Tests structured decision-making under uncertainty: opportunity sizing, fit, and risk - landing on a clear recommendation.
Interview prompt
A stakeholder proposes building [a new product/feature, e.g. a payments feature]. Should we build it?
What interviewers evaluate
- Do you assess the opportunity (market size, user need) before deciding?
- Do you evaluate strategic fit (does it advance the mission and leverage our strengths)?
- Do you weigh build vs buy vs partner, and the cost/risk?
- Do you reason about risks (regulatory, competitive, execution)?
- Do you land on a clear, defensible recommendation with conditions?
A framework to structure your answer
- Clarify the proposal & the why - what problem, for whom, and what outcome is hoped for.
- Opportunity - size the user need and market; is it big enough to matter?
- Strategic fit - does it advance the mission and leverage existing strengths/assets/distribution?
- Feasibility & alternatives - build vs buy vs partner; cost, time, and required capabilities.
- Risks - regulatory/compliance, competitive response, execution and opportunity cost.
- Recommend - a clear go / no-go / 'go if X,' with the key assumption to validate first.
Strong sample answer
Try structuring your own answer first, then reveal a strong worked example.
Common variants
- Should [company] enter [new market]?
- Should we build this in-house or buy/partner?
- A competitor launched X. Should we copy it?
Pitfalls to avoid
- Saying yes/no immediately without sizing the opportunity or fit.
- Ignoring build-vs-buy-vs-partner.
- Skipping regulatory/competitive/execution risk.
- No clear recommendation - just listing considerations.
- Recommending a giant build when an MVP/pilot would de-risk it cheaply.
Likely follow-ups
- What single assumption, if false, kills this?
- How would you structure a pilot to decide in 4-6 weeks?
- Leadership wants it built fully now. How do you push back?