People overvalue information that’s easy to recall. Not because it’s the best data, but because it’s the most available. This bias leads teams to act on familiar inputs rather than investigate what’s actually true or important.
It shows up most when decisions are rushed or when no one questions the first idea that surfaces.
HOW IT SHOWS UP
Design
Prioritizing features based on user quotes instead of full patterns
Repeating design patterns that are familiar but irrelevant
Product
Roadmap items chosen based on what’s trending or loudest
Mistaking urgency for importance
Strategy / Leadership
Solving symptoms without investigating causes
Over-relying on old assumptions or secondhand input
WHEN TO USE THIS MODEL
Spring Planning
This is where time pressure meets half-baked context. Teams default to whatever’s in front of them: the loudest ticket, the easiest fix, or the most familiar ask. If you’re not checking where the request came from or what problem it’s solving, you’re just moving work, not moving forward.
Backlog Grooming
Because it happens often, it’s easy to treat it like a checklist. Items get prioritized without digging into where they came from or if they still matter. People assume if it’s in the backlog, it’s worth keeping. That’s a shortcut. Use this model to audit relevance, not just sort tasks.
Strategy Reviews
Old assumptions stick. Teams overvalue what they’ve seen before or what leadership once said. Nobody questions if that context still applies. This model is a filter: is this direction based on what’s accessible or what’s actually true?
HOW TO APPLY IT
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Abilene Paradox