Clarify Vague Internal Tool Request

Company Context

NimbusOps is a Series B B2B SaaS company that sells workflow software to mid-market operations teams. It has 1,200 paying customers, 85,000 weekly active users, and a growing enterprise segment that frequently requests custom internal tools and workflow extensions.

Problem

The Head of Customer Success tells you, "We need a new software tool to help our teams work faster," but cannot clearly define the users, workflows, or expected outcomes. Similar requests in the past have led to overbuilt features, low adoption, and engineering rework. Leadership wants a recommendation within 2 weeks on whether to build anything, for whom, and what the MVP should be.

You are the product manager assigned to turn this vague request into a concrete product direction. Assume there may be multiple possible users (Customer Success Managers, Support Ops, and Account Managers), and the request could represent either a real unmet need or a symptom of process issues outside the product.

Deliverables

1. Explain how you would clarify the vague requirement and identify the underlying user problem.
2. Define which user segment you would prioritize first and why.
3. Propose an MVP for the tool, including the core user job, key features, and what you would explicitly leave out.
4. Define success metrics and how you would validate whether the tool should be scaled, iterated, or stopped.
5. Discuss the trade-offs between moving quickly to satisfy the stakeholder and spending time on discovery.

Constraints

• You have 2 weeks for discovery and recommendation, and 1 engineering squad available for 6 weeks if approved.
• No new headcount or major platform rebuilds are available this quarter.
• The company prefers reusable platform capabilities over one-off custom tools.
• Any MVP must integrate with existing CRM and ticketing systems rather than replace them.