PM Mental Models

What Are Mental Models?

Mental models are simple expressions of complex processes or relationships. For product managers, having a toolkit of mental models means you can quickly analyze situations, communicate decisions, and think through second-order effects.

First Principles Thinking

Rather than reasoning by analogy, break problems down to their fundamental truths. Elon Musk famously used this to rethink battery manufacturing costs. PMs can apply this to feature prioritization: why do users actually need this?

The RICE Framework

Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort = Priority Score. This simple formula cuts through opinion-based prioritization debates and grounds decisions in data.

Jobs-to-be-Done

People don't buy products; they hire them to do a job. Understanding the job your product is hired for — functionally, socially, and emotionally — unlocks better features and messaging.