A building-permit Product Owner has spent two quarters on a same-day digital express-permit bet that assumed the state would waive a site-visit rule. The legislature instead tightens the rule, so same-day issuance is now illegal. Leadership wants to finish the remaining screens because so much is already built. What should the Product Owner do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
If the city just banned the shortcut you were paving, keep pouring asphalt is just pride. Sunk cost is not a Product Goal. When the law kills the bet, stop the spend and put the team on something that can still create value.
Full Explanation
Strategic bets rest on premises. When a regulatory change invalidates those premises, continuing the work is sunk-cost continuance, not Product Ownership. The Product Owner should stop funding the express-permit path quickly and re-order the backlog toward outcomes that remain legal and valuable. Finishing screens for a demo, protecting velocity, or shopping for a legal loophole to save a roadmap all treat the old plan as more important than current value.