Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I build high-craft software and the teams that build it. I'm looking for my next opportunity. Check out my resume and get in touch.

This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Personal

Squidward Pumpkin Pattern

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 19 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

My nine-year-old son wasn’t content with using a ready-made pattern to carve his pumpkin this year. He wanted to make Squidward from SpongeBob but the only pattern we could find was complicated — too complicated for a kid to carve.

So he pulled up SpongeBob on the Tivo, paused the screen and drew a simplified Squidward. I helped him turn his original drawing into a pattern and he and mom carved Squidward together. He was so excited about his pattern that he wanted to share it, so I’m putting it online for him. Click the thumbnail to download a PDF of his pattern.

squidward_small.png

His original drawing, complete with pumpkin mess from the carving project:

Squidward_Orig.png

Recently Written

Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.
A Framework for Scaling product teams
Oct 9: The people, processes, and systems that make up a product organization change radically as you go through the stages of a company. This framework will guide that scaling.
My Networked Webcam Setup
Sep 25: A writeup of my network-powered conference call camera setup.
Roadmap Outcomes, not Features
Sep 4: Drive success by roadmapping the outcomes you'll create instead of the features you'll deliver.
Different roadmaps for different folks
Sep 2: The key to effective roadmapping? Different views for different needs.
Micromanaging and competence
Jul 2: Providing feedback or instruction can be seen as micromanagement unless you provide context.
My productivity operating system
Jun 24: A framework for super-charging productivity on the things that matter.
Great product managers own the outcomes
May 14: Being a product manager means never having to say, "that's not my job."

Older...

What I'm Reading