Mastodawn

Chesterton's Fence: The Product Leader's Test for Load-Bearing Legacy

Chesterton's Fence is a product leader's test for legacy systems: before you remove the ugly process, code path, or ritual, understand the failure it was built to stop.

https://ryanw.eu/field-notes/chestertons-fence-load-bearing-legacy/

Rosanna Sibora 3d ago

Product people! This one is for you!

In case you would like to shape the future of @openproject, apply now.

We collaborate in a product trio to build the right product & build the product right.

As a PM, your goal is to understand users, their needs, and their use cases. You guide this process from a product perspective, from early discovery, through delivery to continuous discovery.

More details: https://openproject-gmbh.jobs.personio.com/job/2604397

#getfedihired #productmanagement #productleadership #foss #opensource

Roberto Hortal Apr 11

When CPO/CTO alignment is fake, teams pay the price in mixed signals and fake work. CPTO is best. If you must keep the roles separate, real partnership is the ability to disagree productively behind closed doors. Stop paying the Alignment Tax.
https://insideproductorg.substack.com/p/the-alignment-tax-what-a-real-cto
#ProductLeadership #Agile

The Alignment Tax: What a Real CTO Relationship Looks Like vs. a Fake One

And how it sets the temperature for the entire organization.

InsideProductOrg

thoughtbot Apr 1

Change fatigue is real, and it can stall even the best initiatives.

In Ep. 604, Taylor Spencer shares how to navigate resistance, drive meaningful change, and keep teams aligned through growth.

https://podcast.thoughtbot.com/604

#giantrobotspodcast #thoughtbot #SoftwareDevelopment #ProductLeadership #AI #DigitalTransformation

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Rosanna Sibora Mar 28

@leeloo @slink I think the Winchester Mystery House with its architectural curiosities illustrates well a #featurefactory product.

To all managers out there: don’t be a #hippo. If you hire experts, let them be experts.

Pic source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarah_Winchester_tiny_stairs.jpg#mw-jump-to-license

#productmanagement #productleadership #agile

Jock Busuttil Mar 21, 2022

PRODUCTHEAD: 3 product leaders share what they’ve learned

» Over time, communities of practice risk themselves becoming new silos

» Be intentional about what you want to learn, and about your own behaviour to others

» Delivery by itself is worthless — deliver value

#prodmgmt #communityOfPractice #leadership #productLeadership #value 📖 Read more: https://imanageproducts.com/producthead-3-product-leaders-share-what-theyve-learned/

The Product Guy Mar 27

How Beta Testing at Real Restaurants Revealed PlateRate’s Most Valued Feature

A veteran interim CPO explains how leading 13+ product teams on short timelines shaped his people-first approach to product management.

https://tpgblog.com/2026/03/27/how-beta-testing-at-real-restaurants-revealed-platerates-most-valued-feature/

Roberto Hortal Feb 9

Speed isn't about telling teams to move faster. Mike Fisher nails why real speed emerges from focus, collaboration, transformation, and psychological safety. You don't command speed—you earn it by building the conditions. Rugby analogy works perfectly. Worth your time 👇
https://mikefisher.substack.com/p/speed-is-never-just-speed
#ProductLeadership #Agile

Speed Is Never Just Speed

What rugby can teach us about leadership

Fish Food for Thought

Roberto Hortal Feb 7

Your product might still sell, but are you becoming a 'legacy magnet'? The uncomfortable truth: AI isn't just changing how we build—it's exposing operating models that were already broken. The gap between modern product orgs and legacy ones just got a lot wider. https://insideproductorg.substack.com/p/stop-building-products-with-a-2015 #ProductLeadership

Your Product Operating Model is Broken (And AI is Making it Obvious)

Why upgrading your product operating model is finally no longer optional.

Inside Product

Roberto Hortal Jan 30

"Earning Our Keep" dives into a critical question for Product Leaders: Is your product truly earning its cost? It highlights the importance of strategic ROI conversations with CEOs, moving beyond just feature-level analysis. I often discuss this with my teams. A crucial read for CPOs! #ProductLeadership #ROI 💰 https://www.mironov.com/earn-our-keep/

Earning Our Keep

(this is an excerpt from my upcoming book on Money Stories) As CPOs or product leaders, we often have conversations with CEOs about Return On Investment (ROI). These come in two wildly different contexts, though, with completely different context and rules of engagement. I'll unpack the strategic conversation in this

Rich Mironov's Product Bytes