To think outside the box, define the box first

Product Managers do not find solutions. They define problems and set the constraints that spark creativity.

You’d be surprised at how resourceful a six-year old can be once they’ve figured out you hide the candies on the top shelf in the kitchen.

The same happens to your product team. They need to clearly understand the problem they are trying to solve for, as clearly as that six-year old.

Their immediate goal is to get to that candy box without being caught in the act.

Their long term goal is to figure out access to the candy box without mom or dad even suspecting them (either because of an invisible access route or because they can credibly blame a sibling).

The strategic goal would be access to the candy box and a plan of retrieving candy in such a manner that the parents refill the box without realising that the content is disappearing faster than usual.

Your customer very likely is aware of their immediate goal.

It’s the product manager’s job to tease out the long term goal.

It’s the product lead’s job to define the strategic goal.

The long term goal and the strategic goal create the constraints within which the product team can now come up with solutions.

Define the box. It’s the only way you can assess whether thinking outside the box actually makes sense for this particular situation.