Great work has rhythm

I've been a Balsamiq user since 2013. Back then, I never imagined I'd one day contribute to their blog, let alone become part of the Good Product Club. Yet recently they invited me to share my perspective on balancing speed with clarity in product work.

You can read the full article here: How product managers use clarity to move faster

My answer was this:

"It’s not about choosing speed or clarity. You have to alternate between them. Knowing when to alternate comes from your experience and the skills you build over time. Sometimes you'll want to move fast, and other times you'll know that you need to slow down and get clarity.

In practice, you go fast when the execution plan is clear. Once you hit something that’s complex, such as dependency management, or if your work touches multiple surfaces, that’s your signal to spend more time and zoom in. Go deep, unpack, solve as efficiently as you can, and zoom out again. Look at the whole picture and ask yourself: ‘What’s the next thing I need to focus on?’

Over time, knowing when to sprint and when to dig deeper becomes a rhythm."

I've found that most product work doesn't require a choice between speed and clarity. It requires knowing when each is appropriate. When the path is clear, move. Momentum creates learning. When complexity appears, slow down. Understand the problem, the dependencies, and the consequences of your decisions. Then zoom out again.

The goal isn't to operate at one speed. It's to know when to change pace. Over time, that rhythm becomes one of the most valuable skills you can develop.