Without a dedicated role.
WHO DOES IT
Usually the founder, alongside everything else.
WHAT MATTERS MOST WITH LIMITED TIME
Talking to customers Deciding what not to build Measuring whether it worked
WHAT TO PROTECT
Regular customer conversations.
WHY
They are the first thing displaced and the most valuable.
HOW MANY
A few each month is enough to change decisions.
WHAT TO SKIP
Elaborate frameworks Extensive documentation Formal roadmap processes
WHAT TO KEEP
A short ordered list of what is next A record of why things were declined A note of what you expected from each change
WHY THAT LAST ONE
It is the only route to learning.
WHAT THE COMMONEST SMALL-COMPANY FAILURE IS
Building what customers ask for, individually.
WHAT THAT PRODUCES
A product that is a collection of accommodations.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD
Look for the problem behind the requests, and solve it once.
WHAT THE SECOND COMMONEST FAILURE IS
Building extensively before testing whether anyone wants it.
WHAT TO DO
Describe it, show a sketch, or deliver it manually first.
WHAT TO ACCEPT
That most ideas are worse than they seem, including yours.
WHAT TO MEASURE
Whether customers stay.
WHY
It is the honest summary of whether the product works.
