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PM planning prep tool

Lab notebook. A simple tool that helps a product manager turn an existing backlog of framed bets, ideas and issues into a proposal for the next development cycle. It supports comparing candidates, exploring a provisional cut line and exporting the rationale and open questions without implying a delivery commitment. This lab entry follows the shift from an overbuilt scoring prototype to a focused, single-user tool designed to help a PM arrive better prepared.

STAGE
Design
BUILD TYPE
AI-assisted
DECISION
Pending
STARTED
Sep 26, 2026
UPDATED
Oct 16, 2026

Question

How can a simple tool help a PM turn an existing backlog of framed bets, ideas and issues into a clear proposal for the next development cycle?

Data

Made-up sample candidates. No real customer or employer data, names, accounts or figures.

The original scenarios came from a hiring exercise. I replaced them with imaginary ones because they weren’t mine to publish.

What I did

  1. Started with a weighted scoring model I’d used in Excel throughout my product career.
  2. While preparing for a final-round interview, decided to show the model working instead of describing it.
  3. Replaced the original scenarios with imaginary ones, sketched a wireframe and built an interactive page.
  4. Added too much: evidence controls, a “Held” state, a specification step and Now/Next/Later buckets. The tool started becoming a planning process.
  5. Reset the scope: one PM, one planning scenario, one useful output. Renamed it the PM Planning Prep Tool and moved away from weighted scoring.

The first version will let a PM:

  1. Import an existing list of framed candidates using a CSV template.
  2. Capture supporting evidence and compare customer impact, operational impact, effort and strategic fit.
  3. Arrange candidates and move a provisional cut line.
  4. Export the proposed plan, rationale and open questions.

Missing information stays blank. The tool won’t invent evidence or make decisions for the PM.

What I found

The tool doesn’t need to manage the backlog or run the planning meeting. It needs to help the PM arrive better prepared.

Above the line means “proposed for this scenario,” not “committed for delivery.” Selected candidates move into timeboxed investigation with product, design and engineering. Better understanding of scope, technical approach and size then feeds back into the plan.

The goal is enough understanding to make a responsible planning decision not a score that appears to make it for us.

What surprised me

How quickly a small tool became a much bigger idea. I went from helping one PM prepare to describing a framework for multiple stakeholders.

The broader thinking is useful context, but it doesn’t all belong in the product. Collaboration and AI can wait until use reveals a specific need.

Reminder to self: Exercise restraint.

Under the hood

A web page. Entries are saved in the visitor’s browser only, not on a server.

The first release assumes an actively maintained backlog of framed work. It supports planning preparation, not backlog management or ongoing synchronization.

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