Drowning in details? Find your story 📖

Ever feel like you're drowning in details but losing sight of the bigger picture? 🤯 You're not alone. In product development (and honestly, life!), it's easy to get bogged down.

I've been reflecting on the power of stepping back and asking, 'What story am I trying to tell?' 🤔

Just like a good narrative arc, every project has an:

🔹Exposition: What's the goal? What problem are we solving?

🔹Rising Action: How do we explore and develop options?

🔹Climax: The path to the finish line becomes clear!

🔹Falling Action: Execute the plan.

🔹Resolution: Deliver success! 🚀

Understanding where you are in this 'Project Narrative Arc' can be a game-changer. It helps you focus your energy and align your team.

Where is your project in its story?

-Brian Schoolcraft

Get it out of your head 🧠

What’s the best way to get help turning your new idea into reality?

Write it down.

Why do you think it will be valuable?

What do you need to prove before it’s worth something?

What are the biggest risks you see?

Write them down.

First, you’ll see it for yourself.

But perhaps more importantly, your team / partner / whoever can see it now too.

And give you their thoughts,

ask questions

challenge assumptions.

and just start helping.

What do you need to write down today?

-Brian Schoolcraft

From Logs to Action: Why Reporting Matters 🔧🚨

This one’s more to me than from me.

We all need reminders to follow through on what we know is valuable, right?

Let’s say you’ve got an automated system logging data. Most of the time, it just works—the data is there when you need it. And you’ve got solid logging in place, tracking all the automation magic.

Then one day, you log in to find something... missing. Data that should be there just isn’t!

Luckily, you have logs. But digging through them, you realize something broke weeks ago, silently disrupting your data pipeline. Not great.

You debug the issue, fix it, and data starts flowing again. Crisis averted—until the next time something goes wrong.

How do you stay ahead of this?

By knowing the difference between logging and reporting—and using both.

🔹 Logging records everything that happens. But if things are running smoothly, you probably won’t look at it.

🔹 Reporting analyzes those logs and presents key insights—often with automated failure alerts—so you can’t miss an issue.

A good logging system is a great start. But adding reporting lets you stay ahead of problems instead of reacting to them.

So don’t just log—set up reports! Future-you will thank you.

—Brian Schoolcraft