SYSTEMS & SCALE
Where platform strategy meets reality
I write about enterprise platforms in the real world: strategy, selection, vendors, delivery, operations and the way AI is entering the stack.
It comes from the operator's side of the table. I'm still doing the work, so the focus is on the decisions, trade-offs and problems that appear once the sales pitch is over.
The SaaS Waiting Game: When Building Beats Waiting for Another Roadmap Promise
TL;DR: SaaS promised to speed us up, but too many teams are now stuck in holding patterns, waiting for roadmap features that serve the majority rather than their specific business needs. We often underestimate the true cost of this waiting; the expense of manual workarounds and missed opportunities usually outweighs the cost of building internal solutions, even when you factor in long-term maintenance.If you know someone stuck in a holding pattern on a vendor roadmap, feel free to pass this on.
Building from Scratch: The Feature You're Convinced Users Need (That They Don't)
TL;DR: Most founders build features they think are cool, not features customers actually need. The result?
The 20% Rule: Why We Keep Failing to Fix the Plumbing
TL;DR: Everyone agrees on the 20% rule. Almost everyone abandons it.
The Hidden Cost of Skipping Change Champions in Enterprise Rollouts
TL;DR: Six months after your platform goes live, you’re not getting the value you expected. The missing piece isn’t better features or more training, it’s change champions.
Intentional Influence: Part 7: Was It Worth It? A Simple Guide to Measuring Creator ROI
TL;DR: Most companies measure creator partnerships wrong, they use the same metrics for everyone. The secret to measuring ROI isn’t complicated: match your metrics to the archetype.
The Vendor Partnership Reality Check: 5 Gaps to Bridge Before You Sign
TL;DR: Vendor relationships fail not because of bad intentions, but because both sides speak different languages. After 20 years managing enterprise platforms and leading implementations, I’ve identified 5 critical gaps that kill partnerships: timeline expectations (their “3 months” vs your reality), “out-of-the-box” confusion (capability exists vs works as-needed), integration complexity (modern APIs vs 10-year-old systems), support expectations (break-fix vs strategic partnership), and roadmap interpretation (vision vs committed features).
