Viability
Viability refers to whether a solution will be good for the business—can the business sustainably deliver it and benefit from it?
What are viability assumptions?
Viability assumptions are the assumptions product teams make about why a particular solution will be good for their business.
For outcome-driven teams, this might be as simple as enumerating assumptions around why they think their solutions will address their target opportunity in a way that drives their desired outcome.
What are the economics of viability?
Viability also encompasses the economics of solutions. Teams must evaluate:
- Customer willingness to pay: Will customers pay for this solution?
- Cost-benefit analysis: Will the benefits of the solution offset the costs of delivering it?
A solution can be desirable (customers want it) but not viable if:
- Customers aren't willing to pay for it
- The cost of delivering it exceeds the benefit
- It doesn't drive the business outcomes the team needs
What are some examples of viability assumptions?
Common viability assumptions include:
- "If recipients don't have a subscription, they'll buy one to access the shared article"
- "Readers will share articles with enough non-subscribers (who then subscribe) to offset the cost of SMS delivery"
- "The revenue from new customers will exceed the carrier fees we'll pay"
Each of these assumptions represents a belief about whether the solution will create business value.
How does viability relate to other types of assumptions?
Viability is one of five key types of assumptions that product trios must evaluate:
- Desirability: Will customers want this?
- Viability: Will this be good for our business?
- Feasibility: Can we build this?
- Usability: Can customers use this?
- Ethical: Could this cause harm?
All five types matter for a solution to succeed. A solution must be desirable, viable, feasible, usable, and ethical.
Who is responsible for viability?
Every member of the product trio is responsible for viability—not just the product manager. The designer, engineer, and product manager all need to consider whether solutions will create sustainable business value.
This shared responsibility ensures the entire team thinks about business outcomes, not just customer desirability or technical feasibility.
Learn more:
- Evaluating Solutions: The 5 Types of Assumptions that Underlie Our Ideas
Related terms:
- Assumption Testing
- Risky Assumption
- Solutions
- Usability
Last Updated: October 25, 2025