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Essays on the systems, frameworks, and human dynamics that make — or break — product delivery at scale.
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More Clarity, Less Noise
by Rick Pollick
Two volumes — writings on mindset, people, process, product, data, and AI.
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2025
8 minMembersWhy I Built AI Dashboard Apps
Why I Built ProjectInsights AI and KPTDashboard: Universal Analytics and Radical Visibility in ActionIf you’ve worked with me, you know I’m borderline obsessed with two things: radical visibility and intelligent automation. I thrive on building solutions that not only make life easier for teams but also expose hidden truths buried in their data. Two apps I built recently – ProjectInsights AI and Customer Support Trend Dashboard – embody this philosophy and my approach to product, analytics, and
5 minEffective Laziness
How Being "Lazy" Makes You Professionally EffectiveYou've probably heard the phrase, "Work smarter, not harder." But what if I told you that embracing your inner "lazy" side can actually boost your professional effectiveness?Yes, being lazy, when applied strategically through coding, automation, AI, and streamlined workflows, can revolutionize how you work.The Misconception of Laziness in TechPeople often label software engineers and tech professionals as lazy because they're always looking for
6 minRadical Visibility
Radical Visibility: The Secret of High-Performing TeamsWe’ve all been there. A product status meeting kicks off and someone asks, “What’s the current state of the release?” The room goes quiet. PMs scroll through dashboards. Engineers glance at their tickets. Leadership gets impatient. Everyone’s mostly sure — but no one’s confident.This moment is a symptom of a deeper issue: a lack of radical visibility.When visibility is treated like an afterthought — a manual status update or an occasional re
7 minA Bad Idea for Product Mgmt.
Why Using Two Separate Tools for Product and Engineering is a Bad Idea (And Will Drive You Crazy)We’ve all seen it. A product team falls in love with a beautiful product management tool—maybe it’s Aha!, Productboard, or some custom-built roadmap tracker. Meanwhile, engineering lives in Jira, Azure DevOps, or Linear, happily plugging away at user stories and sprint burndowns. The solution? Sync them! Connect the two systems with an integration and everything will be perfect, right?Nope. That’s wh
4 minUsing Working Principles
When managing products, teams, or projects, having clear working principles isn't just helpful—it's essential. These principles serve as anchors for leadership, collaboration, and execution. The goal in sharing them is to offer ideas that may resonate and prompt others to reflect on their own approach.Why These Principles Were CreatedThroughout a career spanning healthcare, scientific research, retail, and e-commerce, one consistent theme has emerged: alignment matters. Whether guiding a mobile
13 minMembersVisualizing Delivery with Python
Visualizing Delivery with Python: My Azure DevOps Version Reporting ScriptLet’s be realistic —delivery data in Azure DevOps can get messy. You’ve got teams working on different products, fixing versions, different story point velocities, and everyone wants to know: Are we on track for the next release?That’s exactly why I built this Python script—to turn the chaos into clarity.Why I Wrote This ScriptI needed a better/simpler way to answer simple but critical questions: • How many story points ar
5 minAn Agent of Chaos
“The Office Joker: When High Performers Become Agents of Chaos”You know that person at work who gets everything done? They always hit their goals, they’re always in the room when big decisions are made, and they’ve got answers to problems before you even realize there’s a problem. You’re thinking, “This person is a rockstar!”And maybe they are. But also… maybe they’re the Joker.Yes, that Joker—from The Dark Knight. The one Heath Ledger so brilliantly brought to life. The guy who doesn’t just bre
4 minAnnoying "Coaching"
When Coaching Isn’t Coaching — It’s Just Annoyingaka: Why Nobody Asked for Your 8-Step Feedback Framework, pal.Let’s get one thing out of the way upfront: good coaching is invaluable. A thoughtful mentor, a manager who listens, a colleague who challenges you in the right way—those are game-changers.But let’s also be real. There’s a kind of “coaching” that isn’t really coaching at all. It’s condescending, intrusive, out-of-touch, and... annoying. You’ve probably experienced it. You may have even