Competitor launches, big-customer requests, and shiny AI demos all pull the roadmap off course. A short, recurring defense memo forces the discipline to choose deliberately instead of reactively.

What the memo contains

  1. The thesis. One paragraph on what the product is for and who it's for. Everything is measured against this.
  2. What you're deliberately not doing. Name the tempting requests you're declining and why. Explicit nos prevent silent drift.
  3. The bets. The few things you're investing in this period, tied to the thesis and to evidence.
  4. The review cadence. Revisit quarterly; the memo evolves, but only on purpose.

Bottom line: write down what the product is for and what you're deliberately not building — a roadmap without explicit nos drifts toward whatever shouted loudest.