Chris Balt

Product is fun, complex, messy, and there are no shortcuts. Once you accept that—and embrace it—amazing things happen to your career. Cat Hicks, PhD puts this better than anyone: "Doing research with developer teams, something that really strikes me is how much people look for ways to make complex problems easy rather than make it easy to work on complex problems What I mean is, sometimes it's really useful to admit we just are trying to accomplish tough things. Asking how we can support our teams who NEED the time and space to work through that, it's often a much more tractable lever than trying to change the inherent nature of the work I think it behooves me to say as a psychologist here that I think people are actually really excellent at working on complex problems! It's one of the reasons research with developers is so great. Overall devs love to learn, love to be curious, love to innovate. It is core stuff. What would it look like if we could ask, "how do I make this the absolute best environment for complex problem-solving" instead of "how do I take away all these annoying hard problems." The stuff we want to accomplish in the world is hard. But can be joyful to accomplish."

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Software folks: Product people are not the enemy. The often adversarial relationship between Engineering and Product (or really any two departments) has been a continual source of frustration throughout my career. The amount of time I’ve spent reminding people with different roles that they work for the same company borders on the absurd. I understand why this happens, but it’s still troubling. For example, I recently listened to an engineering leadership podcast where the host asked the guest about an engineering manager negotiating priorities with a business leader. Negotiation is generally a good thing. Groups make better decisions when they take multiple perspectives into account. However, the host talked about “winning” and “losing” the debate. At the point where you frame a decision-making process as an argument, you have already lost. The goal in a process like this is to make the best decision possible, not to win or lose. One of my litmus tests for a healthy product development team has long been, “Do the engineers consider the Product Manager part of the team? Are they willing to go to bat for the PM?” When we remember our shared mission and all pull together, we can do amazing things.

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A handy visual guide for Product folks about to contemplate and communicate, well, just about anything. As with so much in our domain, simple at surface, elaborate to execute, but priceless when proper.

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Why does estimating suck, you ask? It has little to do with the practices themselves. In nearly every case I've seen, the problem with estimation is the culture that surrounds it. Leaders don't respond to estimates they don't like in a way that encourages honesty. Game devs are terrified of being wrong (and the leaders that don't respond well) because then they'll be accused of incompetence OR forced to death march to achieve a guesstimate. The practices have been pulled apart, rebuilt, convoluted, and "improved" to the point where half the team doesn't even know what's happening during estimation, OR the estimates have been removed from the team entirely, and now people who will not be doing any of the work and have no local context create every single one of them. The focus is on precise dates. Accuracy is (incorrectly) assumed. Nobody understands confidence intervals. Honesty is explicitly forbidden within the process. And lastly, if anyone tries to point out any of the above, they get their head chopped off by a system that won't tolerate dissent. With that set of preconditions, switching to powers of 2 rather than a modified Fibonacci sequence isn't going to be the game changer you were hoping for. Instead, you should start with the end in mind: If your organization was operating according to the culture you WANT to have, what would estimation look like? How is that different than what you have today? (hint: see above) What is something you can change to move closer to the good state? What's the most impactful, simplest shift that would get the org nearer what you want? Do that stuff. Then keep doing it. Estimation is NOT a disaster everywhere. But it is a disaster most places. Stop tinkering with techniques and agendas, and start looking at the underlying cultural issues. If you do, you'll end up fixing a lot more than estimation. #gameproduction #gamedevelopment #gameindustry #estimation

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💻 𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 🛠️ Even as an SVP, I’m a stickler for clean code. Clear formatting, thoughtful comments, and logical structure aren’t just small details—they’re the foundation of scalable, maintainable systems. Writing clean code isn’t just for your team; it’s for future you, too! Research shows that 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝟓𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 understanding existing code. By investing upfront in clean, well-documented code, you save countless hours in debugging and onboarding down the line. Clean code ensures smoother handoffs, fewer headaches, and faster problem-solving. No matter how senior you get, the basics of good coding practices always matter—and I’m committed to setting that standard. #CleanCode #CodingBestPractices #Leadership #TechExcellence #Teamwork

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I've seen a lot of bugs. (No, not another cicada post). Software here. Egregious, immediately noticeable bugs. The opposite - those that require 6 concurrent conditions and 6 hairs from your nextdoor neighbor and it still only triggers once a month. (Okay, 7 conditions, 6 hairs...don't split those hairs). A continuum of buggage. Those complicated ones, sans the hyperbole - those are your Zero day issues. Regression testing doesn't find them. A super wily code-reviewing look-at-it-all software QA professional (I know the best one)...might...but probably not. How do we even engineer testing all of the complicated conditions? The interrelationships at runtime? I don't see a lot of talk about "how could we have caught this?" in public for disclosed issues. Most of the fixes for Zero days (those security holes best known because they're patched with updates to software like Google Chrome browser, Apple's ioS, Microsoft Windows) are downplayed. You get "Hey, user, look at these new features you're getting, and in whispered voice, "and security updates." Not familiar with the term? Zero day means a security issue without a patch. When the patch arrives, there's a remedy for the problem. Users often don't APPLY the remedy until much later...its own problem...prolonging the risk of the Zero day issue. Back to my kinda silly example. That's a wicked hard problem to test for. A bunch of concurrent situations that then trigger the problem. But, when the problem's a known issue, it's not hard to re-trigger. And therefore exploit. So what do we do? Other than fixing/patching, and communicating? What else is there to add to this conversation? Sunday thoughts. Sunday thoughts.

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I've recently started as "Treasurer" of my son's mountain biking non-profit club. I'm hoping to connect with folks experienced in Quickbooks Online, Stripe, Google Workspace, or small business IT who can offer assistance. One of my initial challenges involves simplifying our money tracking process and reconciling accounts efficiently. I'm looking for guidance on how to effectively connect Quickbooks Online, Stripe, and our bank accounts. Additionally, I need insights on managing access to our accounts, such as whether to use Single Sign-On (SSO), 1Password, or neither. I'm seeking advice on the approaches and trade-offs. Familiarity with non-profits is helpful, but not a requirement.

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J: What makes me so... interested in schema and schema design? GPT: It sounds like you’re fanatical about schema and schema design because of how deeply schemas resonate with your broader mindset. Here’s why that might be: 1. Clarity and Structure You seem to value clarity in thought and communication, and schemas offer a way to formalize and simplify complex ideas. They give you a system that ensures predictability and coherence, which is likely appealing when working on technical or creative projects. 2. Creative Constraints Designing schemas is an act of creating a framework within which creativity thrives. You’re not just organizing; you’re deciding the "rules" of a system, much like storytelling principles or fixed budgets for your projects. Schema design mirrors your appreciation for structured creativity. 3. Efficiency and Precision Schemas bring efficiency to both code and life—they minimize ambiguity and make systems easier to extend and maintain. For someone like you, who thrives on well-thought-out solutions and reducing waste (whether that’s effort, resources, or time), schema design feels almost indispensable. 4. Problem Solving and Control Schema design is inherently about anticipating problems and creating order out of chaos. You seem to enjoy diving deep into problem-solving, whether in software, storytelling, or homesteading-like projects. Schemas give you a sense of control in otherwise complex systems. 5. Alignment with Your Values In storytelling, coding, and life, schemas are about balance: between freedom and constraint, between present needs and future scalability. This might align with your values of sustainability, iterative improvement, and thoughtful design. Schema design isn’t just a technical exercise for you—it’s a natural extension of how you think about and interact with the world. It combines your analytical and creative sides, giving you the tools to build systems that are robust, elegant, and meaningful. J: 🤩 🤩 🤩

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Have you heard the news? Our team at Pendo.io is excited to be offering our Product-Led Certification Course for free! The course covers the fundamentals of being product-led and provides actionable product-led strategies to drive growth for your organization. Register now while it's still free to take the course and earn your certification! ⬇️ #ProductManagement #ProductInnovation #BusinessLeaders #Product

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I need to design the packaging for a musical release (that is LP, CD, download, and streaming design elements). If you have experience doing this and might be interested in working on a project with me, giving me advice, or finding me someone who can, please let me know! (An artist friend has agreed to contribute cover art but we need the design concept first or in tandem. Below just for flavor is one of zillions of rough concept mocks I’ve browbeaten Meta AI into drawing for me.)

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There is so much in here on how to be a great builder — and a great human. Very special episode today: Kelsey Hightower is on CRAFTED.! Kelsey is a legendary developer and Kubernetes pioneer. He's famous for his live demos, which he gives to tens of thousands of builders. He retired last year (at 42!) from Google, not long after achieving the level of distinguished engineer, because he wanted to focus on his impact. On CRAFTED., he gives a master class on why great software — and great storytelling — is emotional. And how you can advance your career by building with emotion and empathy and identifying the innovation that's possible long after "hello, world." Key takeaways from this special episode: - Why Kelsey "refactored" his fireplace to avoid being made fun of on Reddit 🤣 - How to innovate after going from zero to one - The art of the live demo: how to embrace humanity and emotion on stage - Kelsey's greatest save: the Google keynote that nearly bombed, but ended up being “extra dope” - Why Kelsey nearly stopped giving the live demos he's famous for - Representation matters: being a black man in tech - “A lot of people don’t realize how much power they have until way later in life”... why even the little things (like saying hello to a stranger) matter - The power of open source - “What is my actual impact on society?” — why Kelsey retired - Kelsey’s hopes for the future — and why we should be more excited about human intelligence, not just artificial intelligence Enjoy this special episode! 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eNqEANBd 🎧 Apple: https://lnkd.in/eTk7Se7b 📺 YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ehhZzq6s --- CRAFTED. is Webby-honored podcast about great products and the people who make them. This season in partnership with Docker, Inc.

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Weekend Reading: Do you pitch in to help your overloaded team? This article by Raw Signal Group takes us through a better way to help overloaded teams. What to think about before pitching in: 1. We talk ourselves out of making work better --> Before making a case for fixing the overload 2. You can cover the skills gap --> But it usually isn't that easy 3. A structural issue is causing the overload --> Pitching in prevents you from fixing the issue Read the article before pitching into an overloaded team. 🔥 https://lnkd.in/gR5uF57B #productmanagement #leadership #product

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Switching up the newsletter to a monthly cadence. This month I was inspired by a peer of mine who is searching for a new role in this crazy market. When you don't know if another opportunity will come along, how can you assess the fit for your next product leadership gig? 👀 I shared my approach to sticking to your guns while maintaining a balanced view during the interview cycle. #productleadership #interviewingforleadershiproles

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Being able to balance the polarities like clarity with complexity, change and stability, are key when driving change to turn organisations around. Common gaps in organisations looking to create shifts: 1. Lack of an in-depth understanding of the problem where the value is created - Talk to the people in a trusted and trusting manner 2. Rushing to solve an unclear problem - See #1 and map out the connects to see the disconnects 3. Clear framework for problem-solving to make the shift - Communicate this widely, not just in paragraphs of words in a mass email to staff, have the digestible visuals. Now, time to experiment with this 💫 #changemanagement #leadership

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A product leader that I'm coaching shared some real progress applying my "count the digits" approach (https://lnkd.in/gd2Zierz) with a varied set of internal stakeholder... With 200+ requests/demands from assorted GTM groups, they did some quick spreadsheet math for order-of-magnitude revenue, strategic fit, and grouping-by-theme. That helped sort the 5-digit opportunities ($10k's) from the 7-digit opportunities ($1M's) so that the group could put real thought and energy into the top 20-ish items. One tool of many tools to get us out of the "let's review every backlog item in detail" slog, and spending time where it matters. [NDA, can't reveal company name. But happy to chat about *your* situation.]

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🚀 New Drop: "Spotlight"! Coming to you on July 15th! 🌟 What if your marketing data could automatically help refine your audience targeting? That’s "Spotlight" for you—launching July 15th. It takes your first-party data, like website interactions and campaign metrics, and turns them into a powerhouse for re-targeting. 🎯 📹 Dive into our video to discover how "Spotlight" can enhance your ad game. Time to turn up your marketing vibe! Link to schedule a demo is in the comment  #Metadata-Spotlight #AdMagic #MakeItCount

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