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chronicles

17
Apr
Faster Into Irrelevance

Faster Into Irrelevance

~90% of startups fail (CB Insights; Startup Genome). ~70% of transformations fail (McKinsey; BCG reports similar ranges). ~35–45% of features never get used (Standish Group; Pendo; Productboard). A large share of scale-ups stall after initial traction (ScaleUp Institute; OECD).
4 min read
16
Apr
The Market Does Not Reward Competence Anymore

The Market Does Not Reward Competence Anymore

There is a structural failure emerging in the market. Competence no longer guarantees opportunity. That shift does not come from a sudden lack of talent. It comes from a change in how the system detects, filters, and ultimately selects it.
4 min read
15
Apr
The Death of Ownership

The Death of Ownership

Ownership once carried weight. It signalled clarity and consequence: when work moved, someone could explain why. When it broke, someone fixed it. That signal has faded.
3 min read
14
Apr
Product Is Not Strategy. And It Is Breaking Engineering

Product Is Not Strategy. And It Is Breaking Engineering

Somewhere along the way, product management drifted from its core responsibility. It stopped making hard decisions and started managing ideas. That shift does not trigger alarms, yet it steadily degrades the system.
4 min read
13
Apr
Monday Myth: “Soft leadership builds strong engineering cultures”

Monday Myth: “Soft leadership builds strong engineering cultures”

In trying to soften leadership, organisations stripped away the very element that allows them to function under pressure: decisive, accountable direction.
5 min read
10
Apr
We Are Hiring a Unicorn (Because Fixing the System Would Hurt)

We Are Hiring a Unicorn (Because Fixing the System Would Hurt)

It usually starts with a perfectly reasonable intention. “We need to hire someone strong.” Nothing controversial so far. Then the job description begins to grow.
3 min read
08
Apr
The Garand Thumb of IT

The Garand Thumb of IT

There is a well-known phenomenon associated with the M1 Garand: the “Garand thumb.” It occurs during loading, when the operator fails to control the bolt and the mechanism snaps forward with enough force to crush the thumb against the receiver.
4 min read
07
Apr
When Flow Breaks, Prediction Dies

When Flow Breaks, Prediction Dies

Most organisations believe they have a delivery problem. At leadership level, the question is not about velocity or sprint efficiency. It is far simpler and far more critical. Can the organisation reliably answer three questions: what will be delivered, when it will be delivered, and at what cost.
3 min read
06
Apr
Monday Myth: Adding People Speeds Things Up

Monday Myth: Adding People Speeds Things Up

When delivery slows down, companies hire. They add engineers, product managers, and coordination roles with the expectation that more hands will translate into more output. A few months later, nothing improves
4 min read
05
Apr
Friday Fun: The Living Nightmare We Do Not Want to Have

Friday Fun: The Living Nightmare We Do Not Want to Have

Once, I had a dream. A bad one. I dreamt of hiring practices that felt… off. In that dream, hiring followed a very particular set of rules.
2 min read