John Cutler
@johncutle.fish
I like the beautiful mess of product development.| newsletter: https://cutlefish.substack.com
"I’ve had people swear up and down that governance framework X explicitly requires projects and programs, or that you can’t “do governance” using durable objects like capabilities, products, value streams, and so on.
It just ain’t so."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-390-go...
It just ain’t so."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-390-go...
TBM 390: Governance by Principle, Not by Template
"My company has a highly detailed process involving project codes and program codes, tracking time, highly detailed (and premature) estimates, and lots of very precise reporting with dollar figures do...
cutlefish.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
"I’ve had people swear up and down that governance framework X explicitly requires projects and programs, or that you can’t “do governance” using durable objects like capabilities, products, value streams, and so on.
It just ain’t so."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-390-go...
It just ain’t so."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-390-go...
Reductionism can be wrong, but actionable.
Complexity can be right, but paralyzing.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-389-ov...
Complexity can be right, but paralyzing.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-389-ov...
TBM 389: Overthinker!
From a young age, being accused of “overcomplicating” or “overthinking” things felt like a dismissal of who I was.
cutlefish.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reductionism can be wrong, but actionable.
Complexity can be right, but paralyzing.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-389-ov...
Complexity can be right, but paralyzing.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-389-ov...
Some people are comfortable wading into the mess; other people, less so. Some people are fine dancing between the various lenses; for other people, they have a violent, knee-jerk reaction to anything “complicated”.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-387-le...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-387-le...
TBM 387: Lenses
I see a lot of diagrams in Miro. And one thing that fascinates me is how fluid and expressive people can be when they are untethered from the task of creating a “simple slide.” It highlights one of th...
cutlefish.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Some people are comfortable wading into the mess; other people, less so. Some people are fine dancing between the various lenses; for other people, they have a violent, knee-jerk reaction to anything “complicated”.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-387-le...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-387-le...
When you have two words like Font and Ontology that share three letters, you naturally need to combine them. Behold the Fontology
November 7, 2025 at 9:59 PM
When you have two words like Font and Ontology that share three letters, you naturally need to combine them. Behold the Fontology
Another quarter, another lil playbook
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 7, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Another quarter, another lil playbook
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Hosting a little chat on constraints, Shape Up, and artfully using constraints to help a team improve. Link at the top of this post:
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-386-un...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-386-un...
November 4, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Hosting a little chat on constraints, Shape Up, and artfully using constraints to help a team improve. Link at the top of this post:
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-386-un...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-386-un...
"Powers are not permanent. They counter downward pressure, but they require reinforcement to stay relevant. Even the strongest power loses leverage if the surrounding environment evolves faster than the company’s ability to adapt."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-384-pr...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-384-pr...
TBM 384: Prioritization Starts With Strategic Prioritization
Enduring, differentiated advantages counter downward pressure. A powerful power (lol) resists decay and compounds future advantage. A feature that closes a deal today but adds product complexity tomor...
cutlefish.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 6:10 AM
"Powers are not permanent. They counter downward pressure, but they require reinforcement to stay relevant. Even the strongest power loses leverage if the surrounding environment evolves faster than the company’s ability to adapt."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-384-pr...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-384-pr...
Many systems and complexity-informed thinkers become bogged down in selling complexity, uncertainty, systems thinking, and the like. Meanwhile, most people in an organization are looking for a solution and path forward, not a lecture about “the system”.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-380-bu...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-380-bu...
TBM 380: “But We Have To Try Something!”
You’ve likely heard the saying “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, and expecting different results.” Humans have an intuitive sense of what scientists call attractor states, the conce...
cutlefish.substack.com
September 29, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Many systems and complexity-informed thinkers become bogged down in selling complexity, uncertainty, systems thinking, and the like. Meanwhile, most people in an organization are looking for a solution and path forward, not a lecture about “the system”.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-380-bu...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-380-bu...
I thought the reply was a joke.... but I don't think it was.
September 23, 2025 at 2:35 AM
I thought the reply was a joke.... but I don't think it was.
Reposted by John Cutler
I'll be doing a little show-and-tell / workshop on visualizing your company operating system (free). Would love to see folks.
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Mapping Company Operating Systems. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
In this session I will describe various techniques for mapping your company operating system. We will explore different "frames", visualization approaches, and core concepts. I'll leave a full thirty ...
zoom.us
September 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I'll be doing a little show-and-tell / workshop on visualizing your company operating system (free). Would love to see folks.
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
I'll be doing a little show-and-tell / workshop on visualizing your company operating system (free). Would love to see folks.
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Mapping Company Operating Systems. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
In this session I will describe various techniques for mapping your company operating system. We will explore different "frames", visualization approaches, and core concepts. I'll leave a full thirty ...
zoom.us
September 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I'll be doing a little show-and-tell / workshop on visualizing your company operating system (free). Would love to see folks.
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
zoom.us/meeting/regi...
"And the truth is, it's always about a buzzword. Whatever buzzword catches on becomes the obsession, and that's all people talk about for a couple of years until the next buzzword takes over and the cycle starts again."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-376-wh...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-376-wh...
TBM 376: Why Are We Organized Like This?
This post is about understanding why your company is organized and designed the way it is.
cutlefish.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:26 AM
"And the truth is, it's always about a buzzword. Whatever buzzword catches on becomes the obsession, and that's all people talk about for a couple of years until the next buzzword takes over and the cycle starts again."
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-376-wh...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-376-wh...
My mom, a DC resident, is terrified. Childhood memories of growing up during the German occupation of Greece are hard memories to shake.
August 29, 2025 at 4:10 AM
My mom, a DC resident, is terrified. Childhood memories of growing up during the German occupation of Greece are hard memories to shake.
Mandate Levels
Day 9/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 9/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 28, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Mandate Levels
Day 9/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 9/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
WIP it Real Good
Day 8/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 8/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 27, 2025 at 7:01 AM
WIP it Real Good
Day 8/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 8/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Strategy is as much about when you do things as it is about what you do. Strategy is heavily concerned with timing and the impact of timing on leverage (urgency).
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-374-pr...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-374-pr...
TBM 374: Strategy & Urgency
This is a post about strategy and prioritization, and how reframing urgency can help you be more strategic AND prioritize more effectively.
cutlefish.substack.com
August 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Strategy is as much about when you do things as it is about what you do. Strategy is heavily concerned with timing and the impact of timing on leverage (urgency).
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-374-pr...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-374-pr...
Should vs. Can
Day 7/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 7/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 24, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Should vs. Can
Day 7/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 7/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Just...
Day 6/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 6/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 22, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Just...
Day 6/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 6/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Do This. Not This. Or ...
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Do This. Not This. Or ...
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 5/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
The area between oversimplification and inaction
Day 4/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 4/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 20, 2025 at 2:37 AM
The area between oversimplification and inaction
Day 4/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 4/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Journey to Product Teams
Day 3/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 3/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 18, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Journey to Product Teams
Day 3/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 3/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
It is easy to nod along with the idea of less premature convergence, but in practice it often gets mistaken for waffling or an inability to be bold. The real skill is knowing when a decision truly needs to be made and when it should wait.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-273-wh...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-273-wh...
TBM 273: What To Do More (And Less) Of
It might sound like a leader saying, “We can work out the details later. For now it helps to keep options open. We know the big goal, and we are committed to it. The exact path can come later.” That a...
cutlefish.substack.com
August 17, 2025 at 7:48 PM
It is easy to nod along with the idea of less premature convergence, but in practice it often gets mistaken for waffling or an inability to be bold. The real skill is knowing when a decision truly needs to be made and when it should wait.
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-273-wh...
cutlefish.substack.com/p/tbm-273-wh...
The Way of Ways
Day 2/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 2/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
The Way of Ways
Day 2/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 2/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Trust
Day 1/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 1/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
August 17, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Trust
Day 1/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.
Day 1/30 sharing my favorite doodles and drawings.