Product Thinking
Modern CRM Transformation - Part 2: Designing a CRM Delivery Model That Works
Shifting from project-based delivery to durable product teams. We explain the mindset, structure, and model needed to build lasting CRM capability
David Stewart
Tech leader with 20+ years in CRM, digital strategy, architecture & delivery. I write about work, life, and the messy bits in between - helping people find purpose, clarity, and great music.
Product Thinking
Modern CRM Transformation - Part 1: Why CRM Transformations Fail and How We Can Break the Cycle
Why CRM transformations fail, and how we can avoid repeating the same mistakes by focusing on outcomes, not output. This post sets the scene for rethinking delivery at scale.
Digital Transformation
Mastering Discovery: Desirable, Feasible, Viable & Sustainable
Explore the four key lenses of product discovery, Desirable, Feasible, Viable, and Sustainable, through a financial services lens. Learn how to make confident, informed decisions early and why Daft Punk’s "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is the perfect soundtrack.
Ungated
Imposter Syndrome at Work? Why Everyone’s Blagging (and Why That’s Okay)
Everyone’s blagging. Even the confident ones are figuring it out as they go. Blagging isn’t failure; it’s how growth starts. Show up, tune in, back yourself. That feeling of not knowing? That’s momentum. You’re not alone and you’re doing better than you think.
Product Thinking
Blog Series: From Chaos to Flow, A Real-World Product Model
A real-world series for teams shifting from project chaos to sustainable product flow. Across ten posts, it explores building resilient backlogs, shaping discovery, managing finance and risk, and creating momentum that lasts in the messiness of modern delivery.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 10: Lessons Learnt, Reflections and a Road Still Travelling
From Chaos to Flow was never just about backlogs or ceremonies. It was about building real momentum through visibility, discovery, learning, trust, and resilience. Product flow is not a destination. It is a rhythm you protect, evolve, and move through together, every single day.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 9: Building a Real Product Model Takes Time
Moving to a real product model is a phased journey, not an overnight switch. Start with one backlog and real ownership, stabilise discovery and delivery rhythms, embed light financial and risk management, and grow into outcome-driven flow over 12 to 18 months.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 8: Managing Uncertainty in a Real Product Team
Risk management in real product teams is about visibility, early action, and psychological safety. Risks must flow from squads to capabilities to platform leadership without blame. Risk is not a failure to avoid. It is a signal to move through uncertainty together with trust.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 7: Managing Finances in a Real Product Team
Managing money inside a real product model means tracking effort lightly, forecasting in realistic bands, charging funded programmes fairly, and linking finance reviews to delivery flow. Finance is not the enemy of product flow, it is part of sustaining it with trust and freedom.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 6: Resetting Your Product Rhythm Quarterly
Discovery Days create deliberate pauses to recharge product flow. By stepping back from delivery pressure, teams reframe problems, surface new opportunities, and reset their rhythm. Discovery Days protect curiosity, energy, and strategic thinking before drift sets in.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 5: Metrics, Health Checks, and Continuous Learning
Discovery must stay visible and protected to survive delivery pressure. Light metrics like discovery flow, learnings captured, and simple monthly health checks help teams spot when discovery is starving. Discovery is not a luxury, it is essential for sustainable product flow.
Product Thinking
From Chaos to Flow - Part 4: Keeping Discovery and Delivery Flowing Together
Discovery and delivery must run in parallel, not as separate phases. Real product teams protect discovery capacity, make learning visible, and celebrate insights alongside releases. Discovery is not a gateway before work, it is live work that keeps flow breathing.