Martin Christensen
@holistictransformation.se
Product transformation coach, adult development theory aficionado, former user researcher/designer, author of Holistic Product Discovery, and always an Agilist.
https://holistictransformation.se
Personal profile: m8rt.bsky.social
https://holistictransformation.se
Personal profile: m8rt.bsky.social
Reposted by Martin Christensen
I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.
October 6, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
all discourse aside, there is one machine with consciousness. it's printers. they are alive and conscious and they hate you and they'd take your arm clean off if you let them. never trust a printer.
October 6, 2025 at 7:36 PM
all discourse aside, there is one machine with consciousness. it's printers. they are alive and conscious and they hate you and they'd take your arm clean off if you let them. never trust a printer.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Great teams are less like awesome machines and more like awesome organisms. - Team of Teams
October 7, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Great teams are less like awesome machines and more like awesome organisms. - Team of Teams
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Slightly diminish a book
Interviewing a user
Interviewing a user
September 8, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Slightly diminish a book
Interviewing a user
Interviewing a user
Reposted by Martin Christensen
The attached graphic is an excellent summary of everything that a good Product person does. You will note that "_project_ management," "manage tickets," "compel or browbeat people to build X," and "use Jira" are nowhere to be seen.
1/7
1/7
September 5, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The attached graphic is an excellent summary of everything that a good Product person does. You will note that "_project_ management," "manage tickets," "compel or browbeat people to build X," and "use Jira" are nowhere to be seen.
1/7
1/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
enshittification | noun | when a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits
September 3, 2025 at 8:22 PM
enshittification | noun | when a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits
Reposted by Martin Christensen
I want as many developers as possible to experience the joy of refactoring their code when they have a good test suite by their side.
It's infectious. You'd want that feeling all the time.
It's infectious. You'd want that feeling all the time.
September 1, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I want as many developers as possible to experience the joy of refactoring their code when they have a good test suite by their side.
It's infectious. You'd want that feeling all the time.
It's infectious. You'd want that feeling all the time.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Everyone has been trained to get high fidelity prototypes. I worked with a new team and they were hounding me on high fi artifacts to run research and I said let’s see how the research goes first. The research yielded changes so to spend all that time on the minutiae would have been a waste of time.
August 29, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Everyone has been trained to get high fidelity prototypes. I worked with a new team and they were hounding me on high fi artifacts to run research and I said let’s see how the research goes first. The research yielded changes so to spend all that time on the minutiae would have been a waste of time.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Once again for the people in the back:
'It's not a status meeting, it's a planning meeting: What is the best possible 'today' we can have?'
'It's not a status meeting, it's a planning meeting: What is the best possible 'today' we can have?'
August 27, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Once again for the people in the back:
'It's not a status meeting, it's a planning meeting: What is the best possible 'today' we can have?'
'It's not a status meeting, it's a planning meeting: What is the best possible 'today' we can have?'
Reposted by Martin Christensen
“I worked on 2045. I’ll continue that. I have no blockers.”
“I worked on 3122. I’ll maybe finish that tomorrow. No blockers”
“I finished 2066, then started 2173. No blockers”
“I worked on 2754. Still on it. No blockers”
“I did 2355. Still on it. No blockers”
“I just started 2039. No blockers”
“I worked on 3122. I’ll maybe finish that tomorrow. No blockers”
“I finished 2066, then started 2173. No blockers”
“I worked on 2754. Still on it. No blockers”
“I did 2355. Still on it. No blockers”
“I just started 2039. No blockers”
August 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
“I worked on 2045. I’ll continue that. I have no blockers.”
“I worked on 3122. I’ll maybe finish that tomorrow. No blockers”
“I finished 2066, then started 2173. No blockers”
“I worked on 2754. Still on it. No blockers”
“I did 2355. Still on it. No blockers”
“I just started 2039. No blockers”
“I worked on 3122. I’ll maybe finish that tomorrow. No blockers”
“I finished 2066, then started 2173. No blockers”
“I worked on 2754. Still on it. No blockers”
“I did 2355. Still on it. No blockers”
“I just started 2039. No blockers”
In this article, @lauraklein.bsky.social points out all the reasons organisations have for not doing the research and keep delivering things with low value, as well as the true underlying cause. Read it!
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-organizations-dont-do-user-research
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-organizations-dont-do-user-research
August 25, 2025 at 5:59 PM
In this article, @lauraklein.bsky.social points out all the reasons organisations have for not doing the research and keep delivering things with low value, as well as the true underlying cause. Read it!
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-organizations-dont-do-user-research
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-organizations-dont-do-user-research
Reposted by Martin Christensen
I assume you mean that humans are tools, which is entirely fair.
August 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I assume you mean that humans are tools, which is entirely fair.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
cats are a tool-using species, though!
August 21, 2025 at 5:47 PM
cats are a tool-using species, though!
Reposted by Martin Christensen
No cat has ever caught a tuna. It should not be food for cats. Yet cats love tuna. Makes no sense.
August 21, 2025 at 5:42 PM
No cat has ever caught a tuna. It should not be food for cats. Yet cats love tuna. Makes no sense.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Attention chumps: If you, despite all our dire warnings, decided to put your newsletter on Substack, the untrustworthy asses who run the company just did what we all knew they would, and made it impossible to take your subscribers with you if you want to leave. support.substack.com/hc/en-us/art...
Can my subscribers pay on the Substack iOS app?
Substack now includes external links in the iOS app that take readers to the web to complete their purchase. Subscriptions made this way are treated like standard web purchases—creators receive the...
support.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Attention chumps: If you, despite all our dire warnings, decided to put your newsletter on Substack, the untrustworthy asses who run the company just did what we all knew they would, and made it impossible to take your subscribers with you if you want to leave. support.substack.com/hc/en-us/art...
Reposted by Martin Christensen
My account is now officially deleted so you can no longer read the post at the link above. Here’s what it said in case you’re curious.
August 18, 2025 at 5:14 PM
My account is now officially deleted so you can no longer read the post at the link above. Here’s what it said in case you’re curious.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
This is all relatively easy when a company has the will to do it and genuine leadership (as opposed to management). A siloed company with command-and-control management and a focus on projects rather than the entire product probably won't be able to pull it off.
7/7
7/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
This is all relatively easy when a company has the will to do it and genuine leadership (as opposed to management). A siloed company with command-and-control management and a focus on projects rather than the entire product probably won't be able to pull it off.
7/7
7/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
To do that, you must use an appropriate software architecture (see "Conway's Law"). Change must be easy.
* Create a work environment that puts people first. See Dan Pink's "Drive" and Richard Sheridan's "Joy Inc."
6/7
* Create a work environment that puts people first. See Dan Pink's "Drive" and Richard Sheridan's "Joy Inc."
6/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
To do that, you must use an appropriate software architecture (see "Conway's Law"). Change must be easy.
* Create a work environment that puts people first. See Dan Pink's "Drive" and Richard Sheridan's "Joy Inc."
6/7
* Create a work environment that puts people first. See Dan Pink's "Drive" and Richard Sheridan's "Joy Inc."
6/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
* Build exactly what's needed—not one semicolon more.
* Get feedback early and often, then immediately adapt and adjust to what you learn. That applies to both the product and your dev process.
* Quality is not optional—you work faster in bug-free code.
* Work incrementally.
5/7
* Get feedback early and often, then immediately adapt and adjust to what you learn. That applies to both the product and your dev process.
* Quality is not optional—you work faster in bug-free code.
* Work incrementally.
5/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
* Build exactly what's needed—not one semicolon more.
* Get feedback early and often, then immediately adapt and adjust to what you learn. That applies to both the product and your dev process.
* Quality is not optional—you work faster in bug-free code.
* Work incrementally.
5/7
* Get feedback early and often, then immediately adapt and adjust to what you learn. That applies to both the product and your dev process.
* Quality is not optional—you work faster in bug-free code.
* Work incrementally.
5/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
* Work very small—ideally, you release at least daily to at least a subset of your users. The instant something is saleable, sell it.
* Focus on what your customers find valuable. Talk to them frequently and do that directly, not through an intermediary.
4/7
* Focus on what your customers find valuable. Talk to them frequently and do that directly, not through an intermediary.
4/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
* Work very small—ideally, you release at least daily to at least a subset of your users. The instant something is saleable, sell it.
* Focus on what your customers find valuable. Talk to them frequently and do that directly, not through an intermediary.
4/7
* Focus on what your customers find valuable. Talk to them frequently and do that directly, not through an intermediary.
4/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
* faster idea-to-customer's hands ("lead") time
* happier employees, so low churn
* higher quality
* lower complexity (== lower maintenance and modification costs)
Disadvantages:
* (none)
So, how how do you get those advantages? Here are a few of basics:
3/7
* happier employees, so low churn
* higher quality
* lower complexity (== lower maintenance and modification costs)
Disadvantages:
* (none)
So, how how do you get those advantages? Here are a few of basics:
3/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
* faster idea-to-customer's hands ("lead") time
* happier employees, so low churn
* higher quality
* lower complexity (== lower maintenance and modification costs)
Disadvantages:
* (none)
So, how how do you get those advantages? Here are a few of basics:
3/7
* happier employees, so low churn
* higher quality
* lower complexity (== lower maintenance and modification costs)
Disadvantages:
* (none)
So, how how do you get those advantages? Here are a few of basics:
3/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
You cannot be agile while at the same time slavishly following a set of prescribed rules, and if you're not agile, you cannot be Agile.
Advantages:
* lower risk
* faster revenue
* guarantee that you'll build something people will want (higher sales)
* lower dev costs
2/7
Advantages:
* lower risk
* faster revenue
* guarantee that you'll build something people will want (higher sales)
* lower dev costs
2/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
You cannot be agile while at the same time slavishly following a set of prescribed rules, and if you're not agile, you cannot be Agile.
Advantages:
* lower risk
* faster revenue
* guarantee that you'll build something people will want (higher sales)
* lower dev costs
2/7
Advantages:
* lower risk
* faster revenue
* guarantee that you'll build something people will want (higher sales)
* lower dev costs
2/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Was asked: What are the pros and cons of an "Agile" approach? Here's my list, but bear in mind that I am NOT talking about Scrum or SAFe or Kanban. I don't see those frameworks as even slightly Agile, at least not inherently.
1/7
1/7
August 17, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Was asked: What are the pros and cons of an "Agile" approach? Here's my list, but bear in mind that I am NOT talking about Scrum or SAFe or Kanban. I don't see those frameworks as even slightly Agile, at least not inherently.
1/7
1/7
Reposted by Martin Christensen
It's alive! Komplexitetspodden (The Complexity Podcast) is now available at Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
...and at Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/40Cpa7M...
First episode: Enkla regler (Simple Rules). A new episode, featuring a unique theme, will be published every Thursday.
...and at Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/40Cpa7M...
First episode: Enkla regler (Simple Rules). A new episode, featuring a unique theme, will be published every Thursday.
Komplexitetspodden
Technology Podcast · Updated Weekly · En podcast där tankar om komplexitet får fokus en stund.
podcasts.apple.com
August 16, 2025 at 4:57 AM
It's alive! Komplexitetspodden (The Complexity Podcast) is now available at Apple podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/k...
...and at Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/40Cpa7M...
First episode: Enkla regler (Simple Rules). A new episode, featuring a unique theme, will be published every Thursday.
...and at Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/40Cpa7M...
First episode: Enkla regler (Simple Rules). A new episode, featuring a unique theme, will be published every Thursday.
Reposted by Martin Christensen
Your job is to help your customers (at least that's the way to create a product they want to buy). Your job is not to invent stuff out of whole cloth.
2/2
2/2
August 14, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Your job is to help your customers (at least that's the way to create a product they want to buy). Your job is not to invent stuff out of whole cloth.
2/2
2/2