---
name: four-bbs-roadmap
description: Use during quarterly or annual roadmap planning, when Engineering wants tech debt work while PMs want features and Leadership wants moonshots, to force explicit resource allocation
---

# The Four BBs Strategy Framework

## Overview

A strategic allocation framework to categorize product work into **four distinct buckets**, ensuring balanced roadmap between maintenance, growth, and innovation.

**Core principle:** If I gave you 100 focus points, how much goes in each bucket?

## The Four Buckets

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           RISK                                  │
│           Low ◄─────────────────────────────► High              │
│  ┌───────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐              │
│  │   BRILLIANT BASICS    │      BIG BETS         │  Differen-  │
│  │                       │                       │  tiator     │
│  │   Non-negotiable      │   Large, risky        │              │
│  │   tech debt, hygiene  │   initiatives for     │              │
│  │   "Brilliant" not     │   significant growth  │              │
│  │   just "debt"         │                       │              │
│  ├───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤              │
│  │   BREAD AND BUTTER    │    BREAKING BAD       │  Transform- │
│  │                       │                       │  ational    │
│  │   Core features,      │   Existential pivots, │              │
│  │   incremental         │   moonshots,          │              │
│  │   optimizations       │   redefine identity   │              │
│  └───────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘              │
│          Incremental                   Foundational             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

## Example Allocation

| Role | Brilliant Basics | Bread & Butter | Big Bets | Breaking Bad |
|------|-----------------|----------------|----------|--------------|
| Mature Product | 20% | 50% | 25% | 5% |
| Growth Stage | 15% | 40% | 35% | 10% |
| Pivot Mode | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% |

## Common Mistakes

- Calling foundational work "tech debt" (demotivating)
- Getting stuck in Bread & Butter without investing in Big Bets
- No explicit allocation conversation with stakeholders

---

*Source: Anuj Rathi (Jupiter Money, Swiggy, Flipkart) via Lenny's Podcast*