Field Notes · Product Management
Charted
Mapping product journeys with clarity and intent
Stakeholder Alignment Framework Evolution
I've watched three different PMs this month present the exact same product strategy to their exec teams. One got approved. One got sent back for "more data." On
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Why cultivating agency matters more than cultivating skills in the AI era | Max
Max Schoening's observation hits different when you've watched talented PMs get outmaneuvered by mediocre ones with better instincts.
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AI-Native vs AI-Enabled Product Strategy
Two weeks ago, I watched a PM demo their "AI-powered" feature to leadership.
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AI Companies Need More PMs Than Engineers
The hiring patterns at AI companies reveal something counterintuitive.
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Meeting Simulation for Product Success
Three months into my first VP role, I walked into a board meeting with what I thought was a bulletproof product strategy.
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Why Your Stakeholders Don't Read Reports
Last week, I watched a VP of Product spend three hours crafting a quarterly business review that no one read.
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The Product Narrative Gap
I've watched brilliant product teams build incredible features that never see the light of day.
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Agent-Driven Development Impact on Product Teams
I've been watching product teams experiment with AI agents for the past eighteen months, and we're hitting an inflection point.
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1300 PRs Need Review Strategy
I've seen this movie before.
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Good DX Enables Good AI
I've shipped enough AI products to know this hard truth: the most sophisticated machine learning model is worthless if developers can't actually use it.
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Leadership availability creates product velocity
I spent three years watching a promising product die slowly in conference rooms.
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Rehearsal Culture in Product Management
I learned about rehearsal culture the hard way.
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AI Agents Need Product Guidelines Too
Last month, I watched a customer support AI agent tell an enterprise client that our 99% SLA was "pretty good, I guess" before suggesting they might want to try
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The 70/30 Big Bets Growth Strategy
Three years ago, I watched a promising B2B startup spread their eight-person product team across fourteen initiatives.
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Signal vs Noise in Product Storytelling
I've sat through hundreds of product reviews where smart PMs present compelling data, logical frameworks, and clear recommendations — only to watch stakeholders
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Invisible AI-Powered Onboarding Framework
I've watched dozens of product teams implement AI-powered onboarding over the past three years.
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Workspace AI Wars Signal Product Tool Consolidation
I watched three product teams last month switch from 4-5 specialized tools to a single platform.
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AI Agents Need Documentation Like Teams Need Process
I spent six months watching our ML team roll out an AI-powered recommendation engine, only to watch it fail spectacularly in production.
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From craft mastery to strategic orchestration
I spent my first three years as a PM obsessing over the perfect user story format.
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Complex Setup Kills Product Adoption
I've watched too many product launches die in their first week.
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A New Look for a Clearer Path Forward
We've updated our logo, learn about the details behind the change
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Finding Our Way: The Origin Story of Lodestone
Our founder dives into the origins of Lodestone
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