Skip to content

PRODUCT CLARITY™ DIAGNOSTIC

When strategy gets fuzzy, execution risk compounds quietly - missed milestones, roadmap churn, and misalignment that feels like “execution issues.”

This diagnostic surfaces where the risk is actually coming from (assumptions, decision integrity, ownership, feasibility)—so you can commit, correct, or stop before effort makes it worse.

Who This Is For

Built for leaders who need decision-grade clarity before accelerating execution.

What This Is

A structured diagnostic that identifies why execution is slipping

  • Decision integrity (are decisions explicit, owned, and stable?)
  • Alignment breakdowns (where stakeholders diverge in execution)
  • Untested assumptions (what’s being treated as true without evidence)
  • Execution-risk accumulation (where rework and churn are being created)

This is decision-grade clarity.

What We Examine

  • Problem clarity vs solution fixation
    Are you solving the right problem—or building a solution to protect a narrative?
  • Customer evidence vs internal story
    What evidence exists that would change your decisions (not just confirm them)?
  • MVP integrity vs roadmap sprawl
    Is the MVP a clear commitment—or a list of features to avoid hard tradeoffs?
  • Execution capacity vs ambition
    Does the plan match the team’s actual bandwidth and constraints?

What You Receive

  • Product Clarity™ Scorecard
    A clear snapshot of where clarity is strong vs breaking.
  • Risk & Misalignment Summary (ranked)
    The top drivers of churn, rework, and missed milestones—prioritized.
  • Decision Map (what must be resolved next)
    The few decisions that will reduce uncertainty the fastest—plus owners.
  • Written executive-ready report
    A decision-ready document you can use with leadership, boards, and investors.

If timing is tight, you can start with a 48-Hour Focus & Risk Snapshot and expand only if needed.

Investment

Diagnostics typically range from $5,000–$15,000 depending on scope, number of stakeholders, and artifact review needs.

What determines scope:

  • Number of products/initiatives being assessed
  • Number of stakeholder groups (product, eng, GTM, exec, investors)
  • Depth of evidence/artifact review (roadmap, PRD, metrics, architecture constraints)

“Speed doesn’t reduce risk. Explicit decisions + evidence reduce risk.Waqar Hashim, Smartware Advisors

GETTING CLARITY EARLY PREVENTS EXPENSIVE REVERSALS LATER

CASE STUDIES

"Chaos to Clarity" — How a High-Growth Hard-Tech Company Regained Product Focus

This well-funded startup faced an urgent breakdown in its product development process. Despite hiring prestigious consulting firms to implement frameworks, internal teams were still paralyzed.

LEARN MORE

"From Product Recall to a Successful Launch" — Coordinating Hardware & Software to Ship on Time

This fast-moving mobility tech company had just launched a flagship product — only to recall it shortly after due to a series of critical issues. One bug after another surfaced, and internal teams were overwhelmed.

LEARN MORE

"From Risk to Rigor" — Helping a ClimateTech Startup Redesign Their MVP with Confidence

This early-stage sustainability startup was under pressure to demonstrate product viability. They had developed an MVP and lined up a pilot installation — but acritical safety issuecaused the customer to pull out at the last minute.

LEARN MORE

Past Experience and Current Affiliations

Trusted in complex hardware–software product environments and high-stakes execution contexts.

Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce

Lead with clarity. Build with confidence.

Book a 30-minute Product Clarity Briefing to get personalized, written takeaways on your product, initiative, or portfolio decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

INSIGHTS

Startup Founders: Beware the Advice That Can Derail Your Product

Startup Founders: Beware the Advice That Can Derail Your Product

Author: Waqar B. Hashim is a veteran product development leader with over 30 years of experience bringing complex hardware-software integrated products to market, generating more than $5 billion in...

Read more
Case Study: Google Glass — Misjudging product-market fit in wearable AR

Case Study: Google Glass — Misjudging product-market fit in wearable AR

Author: Waqar B. Hashim is a veteran product development leader with over 30 years of experience bringing complex hardware-software integrated products to market, generating more than $5 billion in...

Read more
Why Chaos Is Inevitable in a Startup and How Founders Can Turn It Into Their Competitive Advantage

Why Chaos Is Inevitable in a Startup and How Founders Can Turn It Into Their Competitive Advantage

A Deep Dive Into Good Chaos, Bad Chaos, and How to Actively Manage Both Author: Waqar B. Hashim is a veteran product development leader with over 30 years of experience bringing complex hardware-so...

Read more