Product innovation that drives sustainable growth

Start from a problem, not a feature

The products people keep paying for solve a problem they feel every week. Write the problem down before you sketch a solution, and check that the people you build for recognize it in your words.

Ship small, learn quickly

A big launch is a single bet. Small releases are many cheaper ones. Each one tells you something, and the lessons add up faster than any roadmap can predict.

• Release behind a flag to a few customers first
• Decide in advance what result would make you keep it
• Remove what does not earn its place

Make room for maintenance

Every feature you add is one you have to keep working. Teams that innovate for years set aside time to pay down that cost, so new work does not slow to a crawl.

The best new feature is sometimes making an old one twice as fast.

Keep the whole team close to customers

Engineers and designers who hear customers directly make better calls than those who only read a summary. Rotate everyone through support or sales calls now and then.