Over my career, specs have gotten shorter and shorter. When I started at Microsoft, the worth of a PM was measured in the weight of their specs. Years later, at Tripadvisor, we mythologized the PM who brought a spec—scribbled on a napkin—to Product Review.
Product teams often treat specifications like paperwork—a necessary evil before the "real work" of shipping. Engineers get celebrated for elegant code, designers for beautiful UX. PMs get kudos for delivering impact. But specs? They’re typically rushed through, tossed aside, forgotten.
This was always a mistake. In my Product Competency Toolkit, Feature Specification sits at the top—first among twelve competencies—for a reason. It underpins Product Execution, along with Product Delivery and Product Quality.
Flawless execution is the foundation of good product management, and a great spec is the starting line.
Today, the way we build is shif…