Shiny Object Syndrome: Defending Against it as a Product Manager

Remember being a kid, crying for a new toy every time you went shopping with your parents, even though you had a box filled with dolls and action figures at home? That need for something new is shiny object syndrome.

As humans, we always want more. The newest clothes, the shiniest gadget, to visit new places. We’re conditioned to want the next big thing. That’s okay in regular life (providing you can afford it 😬), but it can be a massive problem in Product Management. 

Why? Let’s have a deeper look at shiny object syndrome, and uncover why it’s an issue that you really don’t want to face. 

What is shiny object syndrome? 

Shiny object syndrome (SOS) describes a compulsion to fixate on what’s new and drop everything you’ve worked hard on, to instead pivot a trendy idea or feature that’s going to “take the world by storm”. 

It’s where you, or those who are making the decisions above you, are drawn to new technologies that promise excitement, but that may not be the best option for you right now.

It’s like a cat following a beam of light on the wall fixated on this shiny dot wiggling around, pulling the poor animal in multiple directions as if in a trance. Like the cat, falling foul of shiny object syndrome can lead your product team astray. Away from the predefined product vision and into untested waters. 

In practice, shiny object syndrome leads teams to prioritize new features simply because they’re based on novel and innovative ideas and ignore the previously validated solutions that are more likely to meet the user’s needs. It’s the temptation to be on the cutting edge instead of double-downing on what really matters. 

It’s easy to fall into the trap of shiny object syndrome. Product teams and CEOs want the product to stand out and not fall behind. So, when a buzz is generated over a new idea in your industry, it can be easy to race in and integrate it to stay current. 

But that’s super dangerous. Not every great new innovation amounts to anything, and suddenly, thanks to shiny object syndrome, you’ve backed the wrong horse. 

To put it another way, shiny object syndrome is when your product strategy loses focus and starts drifting to whatever seems most existing in the moment, pulling you away from delivering what’s actually valuable and more likely to work.

Why is shiny object syndrome a bad thing?

What’s so bad with wanting to make sure your product includes the newest trends? Who doesn’t want to explore new and exciting opportunities that could lead to bigger and better things?

Well, it’s because of that ‘could’. These new ideas haven’t been validated, they haven’t been tested, yet shiny object syndrome makes you want to dive in head first. It makes you prioritize the new idea simply because it is the newest. 

Suddenly shifting to a new idea, never seen before on your roadmap, can wreak havoc on your team, and overall strategy, especially if it’s done for the wrong reasons. This tendency to get distracted undermines the core principles of focus and customer value, often turning promising plans into chaos.

Of course, a key principle of agile working is that you’re able to be adaptable and explore and try new things. You need to be open to experimentation and iterating on what you already have. You don’t want to be completely rigid and welded to your roadmap.

But dropping everything to chase an unvalidated shiny object is not the best way to go about things. You’ve put time and effort into your original plan – it’s not worth the waste of resources to jump on something new without first checking if that new thing is worth your time. 

Because for all you know, you could be jumping from a lifeboat onto the Titanic. Blindly following the whims of someone with shiny object syndrome may lead you onto a sinking ship – and we’ll get to an example where that happened in the past. 

That’s just one of the main dangers of SOS, but there’s so many more, like:

• Delayed product launches: If you’re trying to get a new product to market, SOS pushes delivery further out as teams constantly pivot to incorporate the shiny new ideas. Every detour delays your time to market, potentially leaving you behind competitors.
• Derailed product development: Prioritizing shiny objects over existing work can force teams to have to scrap or reevaluate what’s in-flight and rework entire roadmaps, leading to chaotic development cycles and, in extreme cases, a full pivot strategy.
• Wasted resources: The time, money, and effort spent researching, assessing, and possibly implementing ideas brought about through shiny new objective syndrome often yield little ROI. This misallocation of resources detracts from core initiatives.
• Sowing doubts: Frequent changes in direction, without solid reasoning, create uncertainty among team members. When they suspect that plans might change on a whim, motivation and commitment to current goals can drop.
• Feature creep: SOS frequently results in piling on features for novelty’s sake, diluting the product’s unique selling proposition (USP) and making it harder for users to navigate or find value.
• Poor user value: Shiny objects often fail to address real customer needs. Customers might find the new features flashy but ultimately irrelevant, eroding trust in your product. If the shiny object is so new and fresh, customers might not even have a need for it yet. Don’t build personalized rockets before people have a need to fly to the moon. 

Who’s most vulnerable to shiny object syndrome? 

Shiny object syndrome is a quote-on-quote ‘disease’ that anyone in the Product Team can get, but just like how pirates were most vulnerable to scurvy, one group is far more vulnerable to the siren-like pull of the potential next big thing. Those are your C-suite and executive-level folk. 

But why? Well, the more senior you get, the less involved in your own product you become. Instead, you’re looking outwards at what others are doing, seeking opportunities for growth, and keeping tabs on new trends.

They’re less entrenched in the day-to-day realities of the product and its customers, which makes them more likely to be captivated by the latest tech buzzwords or the flashy ideas circulating in journals and at conferences. So it makes sense that when a new, exciting thing is introduced, your C-suites are going to be salivating at the opportunity to jump on that to stay ahead. 

Now, annoyingly, the last person you want to get shiny object syndrome is your C-suite stakeholders. If you as a PM become enamored with a shiny new idea, you have a whole team around you who will want to validate it and get evidence for it. This isn’t always the case if it’s your C-suite, thanks to the reality of HiPPO. 

HiPPO stands for the highest-paid person’s opinion. In many organizations, the idea of HiPPO reigns. Seniority and authority often mean that when executives express enthusiasm for an idea, teams feel compelled to act, whether it aligns with the strategy or not. 

HiPPOs with shiny object syndrome can spark off fire drills, derailed priorities, and a scramble for resources all in pursuit of something that might not even serve the product or its customers.

If the C-suite exec really wants to explore a new technology and shiny object, it’s hard to tell them no. 

Thankfully there are tactics you can deploy as a Product Manager to diplomatically dim the brightness of the shiny object without putting yourself in the line of fire – we’ll cover that in just a second.

Signs you’re dealing with shiny object syndrome

We’ll be honest, if your team is already infested with shiny object syndrome, you’ll know about it. Your attention is going to be pulled from your original, optimized plan to something that’s new and in its formative stages. That’s going to be a bumpy transition. 

Here are some major warning signs that a decision-maker (or team) is grappling with shiny object syndrome:

1. Undelivered projects: Plans are constantly being made but rarely completed. Your backlog of ‘great ideas’ keeps growing while deliverables stall.
2. Slow progress: Shiny distractions divert attention from roadmap work, leading to blown timeframes and super slow delivery of those carefully validated initiatives.
3. Constantly changing goals: Roadmaps, OKRs, and strategic objectives are in a perpetual state of flux as the team chases after the newest idea.
4. Excitement over execution: There’s far more enthusiasm for brainstorming the next big thing than for executing or iterating on existing plans.
5. Conflicting directives: One day it’s “build this new feature,” the next it’s “optimize for SEO.” Priorities seem to flip with the wind, creating confusion.
6. Lower feature adoption metrics: Existing features get launched but lack traction because they were hastily developed or poorly aligned with customer needs.
7. Lack of long-term strategy: Instead of working toward a cohesive vision, the team finds itself bouncing between short-term initiatives that never truly gel.
8. Customer disconnect: New features or ideas don’t resonate with customers, leaving them underwhelmed or confused about the product’s direction.

Spotting these early signs can save your team from the worst effects of shiny object syndrome. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can begin implementing strategies to steer focus back where it belongs: on delivering value to your customers.

How to protect yourself from shiny object syndrome

Preventing shiny object syndrome is like keeping a magpie away from glittering treasures and takes discipline and a solid plan. Here’s how you can stop it in its tracks, for both yourself and your executives:

1. Create a validation process

Make it hard for the C-suite to shift the focus. Establish a formal system for vetting new ideas. Not every new technology or market trend deserves your immediate attention. Build a checklist or framework to evaluate whether the shiny object aligns with your company’s strategy, goals, and roadmap. Tools like opportunity solution trees or the RICE scoring method can help prioritize without derailing your focus.

Doing this keeps you open to new ideas without forcing your team to jump on them straight away without checking if they’re viable first. 

2. Set expectations early

Define the rules of engagement around your product roadmap. Regularly communicate its purpose to stakeholders: it’s a living document that transforms strategy into actionable goals. Reinforce that every idea must go through the same prioritization process to ensure fairness and alignment.

Share your roadmap regularly with your stakeholders so that they understand what you’re working on, what’s got your attention, and where your resources are being spent. 

When sharing your roadmap, add some evidence as to why you’re doing it, and the expected benefits. Tie these to overall business goals to ensure you have continuous buy-in and reduce the chance of a new idea coming in to derail everything.

Using ProdPad to communicate your product roadmap will make this infinitely easier. All Roadmap Initiatives in ProdPad are linked to your Objectives and Key Results, are structured around problems to solve, clearly display their prioritization scoring and have related customer Feedback linked to them. 

Take a look in our live sandbox environment to see what that looks like. 

3. Build a feedback channel

Create structured ways for stakeholders to submit ideas without hijacking current plans. A standardized submission process ensures all inputs are considered while keeping chaos at bay. A central hub for suggestions fosters transparency and accountability, giving shiny objects their moment without jumping the queue.

We’ve done some of the hard work for you here. Download our Ideas and feedback submission guidelines to create the perfect process for your team. 

How to undo the damage of shiny object syndrome 

Prevention is better than a cure, but sometimes, you can be in the middle of dealing with the repercussions of shiny object syndrome, be it via your misjudgment or from those higher up. So what do you do now? 

Thankfully, there is an antidote that you can swallow to help get through this and get you back on track with your original plan and roadmap. Some tactics include: 

1. Spotlight the issues with the shiny object

Often, shiny objects are enticing because their flaws aren’t immediately visible. Take the time to highlight potential risks, costs, or feasibility issues. This can help deflate unwarranted enthusiasm and refocus attention on the bigger picture.

2. Revisit your goals

Bring the conversation back to your organizational objectives. If the shiny object doesn’t accelerate or simplify progress toward these goals, it’s easier to deprioritize. 

Show how your current roadmap already delivers on these targets and promise to revisit the idea after current milestones are achieved.

3. Emphasize the cost of delay

Every minute spent chasing a shiny object is time taken from delivering value through your existing priorities. 

Communicate the trade-offs clearly: what gets bumped, what’s delayed, and the downstream impacts on team morale and revenue.

4. Highlight the finish line

If your current roadmap is already in progress, emphasize how close you are to delivering value. This not only boosts morale but also makes shiny distractions less tempting. Promise to give the new idea its fair share of attention once the current plan is completed.

5. Take pride in your plan

Remind stakeholders of the effort, strategy, and collaboration that went into crafting the current roadmap. It’s a plan designed to deliver results and it deserves the chance to prove its worth. 

How to tell the difference between a shiny object and a genuine market shift? 

Listen, one thing I don’t want to do here is make you think that you should dismiss every new change and idea as a shiny object that should be ignored. Because if every new idea is written off, then there’ll be no progress. Sometimes a new idea represents a genuine paradigm shift, the kind of changes that reshape entire industries. 

Ignoring those can leave you stuck in the past while your competitors race ahead. This is the tightrope that many founders and CEOs need to walk: 

Don’t get too excited by something new, yet don’t ignore it and get left in the dust as others hop on. 

In the past, there have been loads of examples of businesses dismissing a genuine trend as a shiny object and thus paying the price. Remember Blockbuster? Back in 2010, no one could have imagined a world where the iconic Friday-night DVD rental ritual didn’t exist. But alas streaming came along, they didn’t act on it, and now there’s only one novelty Blockbuster store left in Oregon, serving more as a relic than a genuine store.

And then there’s AI. At first dismissed as a gimmick but now poised to be one of the biggest industry sectors in the world, ready to redefine everything from healthcare to software development. 

So, to protect yourself from shiny object syndrome, how on earth can you tell if a new trend is going to stick around or not? How do you separate the fleeting sparkles from the game-changing glow? 

Well, you want to make sure that these new ideas have: 

• Widespread adoption: Trends that gain traction across multiple industries often signal something bigger. Think cloud computing or mobile-first design, innovations that found applications everywhere.
• Customer demand: Genuine shifts solve real problems or open up new possibilities for your users. Pay attention to whether your customers are asking for something or if you’re simply chasing buzz.
• Clear business cases: Can this trend clearly improve your product or service? If it doesn’t address a pain point or elevate your offering, it might just be a distraction.
• Industry endorsement: When respected voices in your field start aligning around a trend, it’s worth digging deeper. Look for signs like venture capital funding, major partnerships, or wide-scale implementation.
• Durability: Does the trend have staying power? If it’s tied to broader shifts in consumer behavior or technology, it’s more likely to last.

But here’s the most important thing. Even if you recognize a genuine shift, it doesn’t mean you should dive in headfirst. 

Market shifts might change the landscape, but not every shift is right for your product or your customers. Protecting yourself from shiny object syndrome isn’t about knowing what’s going to be a hit. It’s about not letting that potential hit derail you from what you already have planned. 

Take AI, as undeniably transformative as it is, it might not be the best idea if it doesn’t add value to your customers. No one will care if you have an AI toaster if it burns your toast. 

That’s the trick with shiny object syndrome. Even if it’s the shiniest, brightest thing in the world, if it doesn’t work with what you’re trying to do and improve the experience of the customers you’re trying to serve, it may as well be a broken lightbulb. 

Jumping in without doing this groundwork can leave you with a shiny feature no one wants—or worse, one that actively detracts from your product’s usability.

Ultimately, staying ahead isn’t about hopping on every bandwagon. It’s about building something meaningful, even when the next shiny object comes along.

Avoid distractions 

Shiny object syndrome is a real threat to Product Managers trying to stay focused on delivering long-term value. While it’s tempting to chase the latest shiny trends, doing so can easily derail your roadmap, waste resources, and leave your product lacking in the areas that truly matter. 

The key to defending against this distraction is a clear, disciplined approach to validation, stakeholder alignment, and maintaining focus on your core strategy. By setting expectations early, creating a transparent feedback channel, and consistently reminding everyone of the bigger picture, you can avoid being pulled off course by the next big thing.

One of the most effective ways to stay grounded and keep all stakeholders aligned is by using tools like ProdPad. ProdPad ensures that your product roadmap is a living document that everyone can access and understand. 

With all stakeholders able to view and contribute to the roadmap, you can showcase the validation and reasoning behind every decision. This visibility helps prevent distractions and gives everyone clarity on what’s being worked on, why it matters, and what comes next.

Want to ensure your team stays focused on what really matters? Start a free trial with ProdPad and see how clear, accessible roadmaps can help you maintain focus while keeping your stakeholders informed and engaged.