Product Audit & Reset

Overview

Something feels off. The team is working hard but shipping slow. The roadmap doesn't match what customers are asking for. Stakeholders are losing confidence. You can't point to one thing. It's a bunch of things, and you need someone from outside the system to name them.

That's what a product audit does. I come in, dig into your product, processes, and people, and give you a clear-eyed assessment of what's working, what isn't, and what to do about it.

Who this is for

• Teams that feel busy but can't show meaningful product progress
• Leaders who suspect the roadmap is disconnected from customer needs
• Organizations where product, engineering, and design feel misaligned
• Companies preparing for a funding round who need to demonstrate product discipline

How it works

Week 1: Discovery. I review your roadmap, backlog, analytics, customer feedback, and key artifacts. I interview 8-12 people across product, engineering, design, leadership, and customer-facing teams. I attend existing ceremonies as an observer.

Week 2: Analysis. I map what I found against what a healthy product org looks like at your stage. I identify the root causes, not the symptoms everyone is already complaining about.

Week 3: Readout + reset plan. You get a written report with:

• What's working and should be protected
• What's broken and the root cause (not just "communication is bad" but why and where)
• A prioritized reset plan with specific actions, owners, and timelines
• Quick wins you can implement in the first week after the audit

What I typically find

Every audit is different, but the patterns repeat:

• Ritual debt. The team outgrew its processes 6 months ago and nobody adjusted. Standups are status reports. Retros are venting sessions. Planning is a negotiation, not a decision.
• Unclear ownership. Three people think they own prioritization. Zero people own discovery. Product and engineering have different definitions of "done."
• Roadmap theater. The roadmap exists for stakeholders, not for the team. It hasn't changed in two quarters even though the market has.
• Missing feedback loops. The team ships but doesn't know if it worked. No one talks to customers regularly. Analytics are set up but nobody looks at them.

Typical engagement

• Duration: 2-3 weeks
• Commitment: 15-20 hours total
• Format: Remote, with optional on-site readout session
• Deliverable: Written report + 90-day reset plan