Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I create software for people that create software and 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.

Who decides when it's right?

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 18 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

It doesn’t matter if the solution is technically right, if it doesn’t match the end user’s needs, you’ve failed. Esther Derby has a great illustration of this:.

"These frames are not crooked," he pronounced. "They are perfectly straight."

"But when I put them on they’re lower on the right side," I responded.

"These frames are straight," he repeated.

I tried a different tack: "I think we have a different definition of 'crooked,'" I said. "Would you please adjust my glasses so they are even with my face?"

"Oh, I can do that," the optician said. "But they won’t be straight."

Recently Written

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."
Too Big To Fail
Apr 9: When a company piles resources on a new product idea, it doesn't have room to fail. But failing is an important part of innovation. If you can't let it fail, it can't succeed.

Older...

What I'm Reading