A conversation about escaping checkbox product management and treating ways of working as tools to be adapted, not doctrines to be obeyed. It traces how teams misuse OKRs, strategy and discovery when they chase outputs, and argues for intentional practices grounded in context, influence and evidence.

Sean O’Neill argues that companies with sound vision still stall when customer-specific work devours the capacity needed for strategic bets. Drawing on Amazon, Tesco and other stops, he makes the case for product organizations that focus on real user needs, ship in slices and understand whether they are building a scalable product business or simply bespoke software.

Georgie Smallwood argues that product leadership in a commercial company is a constant negotiation between empowered teams and top-down demands, especially when markets, budgets and customer behavior keep shifting. She frames Moonpig’s work as a technological business built around preserving human rituals, and makes the case for innovation that deepens connection without alienating mainstream users.