The Punk PM #32

Hey there, punk! 

You’ve probably seen it before; clients asking for a feature, teams rushing to deliver, everyone high-fiving by Friday.

But here’s the problem: just because you shipped something doesn’t mean it mattered.

This week, I’ve been thinking about the "build trap”. That cycle of endless delivery without stopping to ask why we’re building in the first place. It's efficient, sure. But effective? Not so much.

So this week’s newsletter is about slowing down long enough to make sure we’re solving the right problems, not just ticking boxes.

Let’s get into it.

Quote of the Week 🙊

Insight 🦉

In an agency setting, it’s easy to fall into a rhythm: spec it, build it, ship it, move on.

Clients come to you with something they want built, and the most efficient thing you can do is give them exactly that. But efficient doesn’t always mean effective.

This is the build trap Melissa Perri warned us about. Where we treat every request as a done deal and skip over the hard questions. We take ideas straight from the top of the funnel and push them into development, with little research and even less understanding.

And when 90% of new product ideas fail (even the well-researched ones), that’s a risky way to work.

It also narrows the role of product to little more than ticket writing. You’re brought in at the “spec it” stage, tasked with translating a brief into a backlog rather than shaping the idea in the first place.

The result? A focus on shipping over solving. Teams get measured on velocity and burndown rather than value or impact.

And if no one’s using what you’re building, does it really matter how fast you shipped it?

This isn’t just an agency thing, either. Plenty of in-house teams are stuck in the same cycle of churning out features without moving the needle on what matters.

But product development isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about making people’s lives better. That only happens when we take the time to understand the problem before we start building the solution.

We don’t need to be order-takers. We need to be problem-solvers.

Before you build anything, be sure it’s the right thing.

Action 🚀

This week, before writing that next spec, take a pause.


Ask: “Is this really the right thing to build?”

Start one conversation upstream. Sense-check the problem with a user or teammate. Run a quick test to explore the idea before committing code.

It’s not about slowing down, it’s about making sure you're heading in the right direction.

Inspiration 💡

Why Your Company Story Matters More Than You Think – Jennifer Lund makes the case that strategy without story is just noise. A clear, purpose-led narrative, owned by leadership, aligns teams, sharpens decision-making, and builds trust. It’s not about slogans; it’s about standing for something. Read more

The Door Problem – Liz England’s classic game design post shows how even something as simple as a door becomes a complex, cross-functional puzzle in development. A brilliant reminder that behind every “small” feature is a web of decisions, trade-offs, and invisible work. Read more

Write Less, Not More – Code by Tom cuts through the hype on AI writing. The real win? Using AI to shrink, not stretch, your content. Less waffle, more clarity, and a better experience for your readers. Read more

Signing Off ✍️

If this hit home, hit reply and let me know what thing on your roadmap you’re rethinking. And if you think a friend or colleague needs a nudge to break out of the build trap, send them The Punk PM.

Play it your way,

Toby