Bailey O’Shea joins host Ashok Sivanand for the 7th of 9 Critical Conversations You’ve Forgotten to Have With Your Product Team: What are the biggest assumptions we’re making? 

In this first episode of a two-part examination of this conversation, Ashok and Bailey uncover how unspoken assumptions shape product decisions and drive team behaviors in ways that often go unnoticed. “It’s really hard to balance moving forward on assumptions while also being mindful of the risks we’re taking,” Bailey notes, highlighting how unchecked assumptions can impact outcomes across teams, from engineering to sales. They dig into the ways assumption mapping, especially with cross-functional input, can help product teams avoid unseen risks and make more confident, strategic decisions.

Download all 9 conversations at integral.io/conversations

Unlock the full potential of your product team with Integral’s player coaches, experts in lean, human-centered design. Visit integral.io/convergence for a free Product Success Lab workshop to gain clarity and confidence in tackling any product design or engineering challenge.

Inside the episode…

• What’s an assumption? Bailey explains assumptions as the unseen beliefs that impact every decision.

• Navigating risk: How teams can make progress while identifying and managing high-risk assumptions.

• Breaking down silos: Why involving sales, marketing, and engineering in assumption mapping leads to stronger solutions.

• Case study on automation: Bailey recounts a story about reducing processing time and errors through targeted automation.

• Rapid experimentation: Ashok and Bailey discuss how prototypes and technical spikes can de-risk critical assumptions early.

• Adapting to changing markets: An automotive case example on evolving car ownership models and shifting consumer behavior.

• Trust-building through cross-functional input: The impact of whole-team involvement in assumption validation and prioritization.

Subscribe to the Convergence podcast wherever you get podcasts including video episodes to get updated on the other crucial conversations that we'll post on YouTube at youtube.com/@convergencefmpodcast

Learn something? Give us a 5 star review and like the podcast on YouTube. It's how we grow.  

Follow the Pod

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergence-podcast/

X: https://twitter.com/podconvergence

Instagram: @podconvergence