Stop Waiting for Perfect Data

The data trap

“Let’s wait for more data.”

This sounds responsible. It sounds analytical. It sounds like good Product Management.

Often, it’s none of those things.

The data trap is when waiting for more information becomes an excuse to avoid making a decision. We hide behind “being data-driven” when we’re actually just afraid of being wrong.

When you actually need more data

Sometimes you genuinely need more data:

• High-stakes, irreversible decisions. If you’re betting the company, take time to be sure.
• When you’re completely blind. No signal at all? Worth gathering some.
• When data is cheap and fast. If you can know in a day, wait the day.

When you’re just stalling

Most of the time, you have enough data. You’re stalling when:

• More data won’t change your decision. If you’d still choose the same thing, just decide.
• The data you want is impossible to get. You can’t know how customers will react until you ship.
• The cost of delay exceeds the cost of being wrong. Perfect data in 6 months vs. good-enough data today.
• You’re asking for data you’ll ignore anyway. Be honest — will this actually change anything?

The 70% rule

Make decisions when you have about 70% of the information you wish you had.

At 70%, you have enough to make a reasonable choice. Waiting for 100% is impossible — you’ll never get there, and by the time you’re close, the market has moved.

The best Product Managers are comfortable being wrong sometimes. They make many decisions quickly, correct course when needed, and keep moving.

Decide over Dashboard

This is why “Decide over Dashboard” is one of the 15 Pillars.

Dashboards are for informing decisions, not replacing them. The goal isn’t to have perfect data — it’s to ship things that matter and learn from what happens.

Data is a tool. You’re the one who decides.

A practical test

Next time you catch yourself saying “we need more data,” ask:

1. What specific data am I waiting for?
2. How will I get it, and by when?
3. What would I do differently based on different outcomes?

If you can’t answer these clearly, you don’t need more data.

You need to decide.