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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
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
4 minIt’s Not the Data, It’s You
It’s Not the Data, It’s You: How Product & Project Leaders Need to Think Like AppleTo the point: executives, investors, and leadership teams don’t have a data problem. They have an interpretation problem.The dashboards, reports, KPIs, and analytics are all right there. Yet, how often do we hear this?“We don’t have the data we need to make a decision.”The truth? They do have it. They just don’t know where to find it, how to understand it, or what to do with it.And that’s where you come in.If you’
5 minAI Generated Compatibility Matrix
How to Use AI to Parse Endless Release Notes and Build a Software Compatibility Matrix (Without Losing Your Mind)Managing a software compatibility matrix can be tedious and error-prone. With multiple software products, dependencies, and frequent updates, manually tracking compatibility across versions can be overwhelming.Instead of manually extracting and organizing data, AI can automate the process, saving time and ensuring accuracy. This guide walks through how to use AI to efficiently parse r
6 minThe Division of Roles
The Right Division of Roles in a Software Development Org: Let Strategy Lead the WayIn a well-functioning software development organization, everyone has a role to play. The executives set the strategic direction, product managers shape the roadmap, and engineering teams bring it all to life. However, when these lines become blurred, inefficiencies arise, goals become misaligned, and frustration permeates throughout the teams. Understanding how these roles should be properly divided ensures an e
8 minThe Post-COVID Office
The Post-COVID Office: Quiet Spaces, Office Cliques, and How to Fix the Weird VibeRemember the pre-COVID office life? Open floor plans buzzing with chatter, the occasional birthday cake in the breakroom, and the dreaded “pop-in” from a coworker who had just one quick thing that somehow lasted an hour. Fast-forward to today’s post-return-to-office (RTO) policies, and it’s a whole different beast. Offices are quiet, eerily so. But beneath that silence, an entirely different social dynamic has emer
6 minCultivating Shared Project Management
The Power of Targeted Project Management Tracking Tools in Cultivating