Makers & Breakers #004
Leading Through the Flames, Managing Complexity, and Controlling Scope
Hey makers & breakers,
Ever feel like you’re trying to juggle flaming torches while riding a bike on a tightrope? That’s what tech often feels like. Deadlines are looming, new features are in the pipeline, and there is constant pressure to deliver more. It’s enough to make anyone sweat.
So, how do we keep moving forward without falling off the rope? How do we lead, build, and deliver when the stakes are high?
I found a few articles that speak directly to these challenges. They dig into what it means to lead through chaos, manage product complexity, and control scope—all while keeping your eye on what really matters.
The first article, How to Lead Your Team When the House Is on Fire by Péter Szász, hit close to home. Imagine steering a ship through a storm—the waves are battering you from all sides, your crew’s morale is low, and you’re not even sure you’ll make it to shore. Leadership in these moments is about ruthless prioritisation—knowing exactly what to let go of and what to hold on to.
For me, it’s a reminder that the hardest leadership call is often the simplest: learning to say no. It’s easy to try and juggle everything, especially when each project looks valuable. But here’s the truth: if you’re not saying no to something, you’ll drown in unnecessary tasks. Like a ship weighed down by too many anchors, you’ll never reach your destination.
Peter’s article also talks about keeping your team focused and even stepping into the trenches when necessary. When everything’s on fire, it’s not just about surviving—it’s about finding ways to thrive.
This led me to, The Product Complexity Curve by Johny Wudel. It’s like building a house: you start with a solid foundation, but the more rooms, halls, and secret passages you add, the harder it becomes to maintain. Pretty soon, it takes forever to find the kitchen, and you’re constantly fixing leaks.
Johny’s point? More isn’t always better. Every new feature adds complexity, and at some point, it starts to work against you. I’ve seen this firsthand—products so packed with features that it takes days to fix a bug, or so bloated the documentation is a novel. If you’ve hit this point, you’ve gone too far.
In startups, where I often work, this lesson is even more crucial: Less is more. If your users don’t need it, don’t build it. Focus on your Minimum Exceptional, Viable, or Lovable Product. Sometimes, the best decision is to remove a feature instead of adding more. Solve the real problems, and let the rest go.
The final article, Scope Management 101 by Kent Beck, ties everything together. Remember that old saying, “good, fast, cheap—pick two”? Kent argues that in software development, scope is the most important variable to control. Think of scope as the guardrails on your tightrope—they keep you from falling when things get shaky.
The real trick is managing scope without losing sight of the bigger picture. Kent reminds us that scope management isn’t about cutting for the sake of it—it’s about delivering value incrementally. If you lose control of scope, complexity will balloon, and before you know it, you’ve built a mansion no one can live in.
Closing Thoughts
At the heart of all three articles is one simple truth: focus. Whether it’s prioritising tasks, managing complexity, or controlling scope, the ability to focus on what really matters is what keeps us moving forward.
As leaders and builders, we have to be comfortable making tough calls—saying no, and sometimes even letting go of things we’ve worked hard on. As engineers, it’s easy to get attached to what we build, but that attachment can cloud our judgment. Sometimes, the best way to move forward is to let go.
So, what’s something you need to say no to right now? What’s holding your product back?
Let’s make those tough calls and keep pushing forward.
Luka