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How to Create a Compelling Product Vision: A Step-by-Step Guide

A powerful product vision serves as the North Star for your entire development team, but, too often, product visions are abstract statements that sound impressive yet fail to inspire action. In this article we'll share how you can create an inspiring vision that drives action.

Rory Madden

Product Teams

Analysing a Successful Product Vision: SpaceX

Apr 6, 2026

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11 min read

Analysing a Successful Product Vision: SpaceX

The SpaceX to Mars video is a masterclass in narrative marketing. In a way a rocket company is no different to any other form of transport but the positioning elevates them ‘out of this world’ (sorry). This isn't just about getting from Point A to Point B. It's about positioning SpaceX as the architects of our multi-planetary future rather than just a rocket company. Let's break down exactly how they do it and why it is so effective.

Rory Madden

Cross-Functional Teams vs. Teams of Functions: The Hidden Difference That Defines High-Performing Product Teams

Mar 30, 2026

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7 min read

Cross-Functional Teams vs. Teams of Functions: The Hidden Difference That Defines High-Performing Product Teams

Many organisations claim to have cross-functional teams. But scratch the surface, and the collaboration is often cosmetic and this reduces the expected benefits.

Rory Madden

All Jobs Have Four Layers. AI Wants Three of Them.

Mar 23, 2026

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9 min read

All Jobs Have Four Layers. AI Wants Three of Them.

If you work in product development, as an engineer, designer, product manager, or researcher, you're watching AI reshape your profession in real time. The question isn't whether AI will change your work. It's when, how much, and what you should do about it.

Rory Madden

In an AI World, Truth Becomes Your Scarcest Resource

Mar 16, 2026

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6 min read

In an AI World, Truth Becomes Your Scarcest Resource

The decisions that matter most depend on inputs that don't live in dashboards. The quality of your inputs has always mattered, but as people become increasingly reliant on AI to help with high-level decision-making, it is becoming more critical.

Rory Madden

The Role of Stream Teams in ZeroBlockers

Mar 9, 2026

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10 min read

The Role of Stream Teams in ZeroBlockers

Stream Teams are at the core of product development, responsible for building and delivering value to customers. Unlike traditional function-based teams, they operate within a broader product vision, balancing customer needs with business goals while maintaining autonomy in execution.

Rory Madden

As AI Commoditises Outputs, Outcomes Become Your Competitive Advantage

Mar 2, 2026

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9 min read

As AI Commoditises Outputs, Outcomes Become Your Competitive Advantage

A cross-functional team built a solution: a centralised system that aggregated feedback from every channel. Customer voices would finally drive the roadmap. There was just one problem. It didn't work.

Rory Madden

The Technical Debt Machine: How to Manage the Risk of AI Slop

Feb 23, 2026

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10 min read

The Technical Debt Machine: How to Manage the Risk of AI Slop

AI is the perfect yes-man. And yes-men are how organizations accumulate debt. This gap produces what we call "slop": output that looks finished and sounds plausible but contains debt that will slow down future work.

Rory Madden

Feb 16, 2026

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7 min read

The Risk of NOT Empowering Teams

Empowering teams is risky - you need to change your processes, structures and management approaches. But that doesn't mean that you should abandon the effort because the risk of not empowering teams are worse!

Rory Madden

The Pyramid Is Collapsing: How AI Is Reshaping Workforce Structure

Feb 9, 2026

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8 min read

The Pyramid Is Collapsing: How AI Is Reshaping Workforce Structure

For decades, organizations were pyramids. A broad base of junior employees supported narrower layers above. Entry-level hires did the grunt work, writing tickets, processing data, creating basic designs, conducting routine research, while slowly building the judgment that would carry them upward. That structure is collapsing.

Rory Madden

Feb 2, 2026

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6 min read

AI Makes Work Easier, and Growth Harder

Today, a designer can generate fifteen variations in fifteen minutes. The output is faster, and the quality is often higher. But something essential is missing: the learning that used to come from the struggle. This is the central paradox of the AI era.

Rory Madden

AI has Collapsed the Career Ladder. The Four Questions That Define Your Career Stage

Jan 26, 2026

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7 min read

AI has Collapsed the Career Ladder. The Four Questions That Define Your Career Stage

Your career stage isn't defined by what's printed on your business card. It's defined by the question you're primarily trying to answer in your work. There are four questions you should answer to know where you are, each representing a distinct level of thinking.

Rory Madden

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How to Create a Compelling Product Vision: A Step-by-Step Guide

Analysing a Successful Product Vision: SpaceX

Cross-Functional Teams vs. Teams of Functions: The Hidden Difference That Defines High-Performing Product Teams

All Jobs Have Four Layers. AI Wants Three of Them.

In an AI World, Truth Becomes Your Scarcest Resource

The Role of Stream Teams in ZeroBlockers

As AI Commoditises Outputs, Outcomes Become Your Competitive Advantage

The Technical Debt Machine: How to Manage the Risk of AI Slop

The Risk of NOT Empowering Teams

The Pyramid Is Collapsing: How AI Is Reshaping Workforce Structure

AI Makes Work Easier, and Growth Harder

AI has Collapsed the Career Ladder. The Four Questions That Define Your Career Stage

ZeroBlockers

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