The1DrewHarris - Articles

We've all seen it. Every department has clear accountability: Marketing owns conversion rates. Sales own pipeline metrics. Finance owns P&L statements. And engineering? Too often, it's shrouded in mystery. "It's complicated," we hear. Deadlines slip, priorities shift, and teams hide behind technical complexity. But here’s the truth: engineering can and should be held accountable . U nmanaged expectations are a significant reason why so many IT initiatives fail . 70% of them, according to some studies. It’s time to bring engineering out of the black box and into the light. Why Expectations Matter in Engineering Clear expectations are the foundation of a high-performing engineering team . They provide: Direction : Ambiguous requirements lead to wasted effort and rework. Focus : Shifting priorities kill momentum. Motivation : Engineers who understand how their work contributes to the bigger picture are more engaged and take ownership. Trust : Delivering on prom...

In today's turbulent SaaS market, "growth at all costs" is out; efficient, sustainable progress is in. With hiring freezes and budget cuts looming, many companies feel trapped. But what if your most significant growth lever isn't a costly external hire but the untapped potential of your current team? This article challenges the scarcity mindset, revealing how investing strategically in your existing employees can yield surprisingly better ROI than chasing talent you can't even afford to pursue. The False Economy of Ignoring Your Internal Talent (Especially Now): Hiring is Frozen (and That's OK): Recruitment, onboarding, and training are expensive. Accept that you won't be hiring, and focus on maximizing what you have.  Brain Drain Amplified: The loss of institutional knowledge hurts even more when you can't replace it. Failing to tap into your team's collective experience is a critical waste.  Morale Under Pressure: Hiring freezes can make employ...

  In the dynamic world of SaaS operations, success often feels like catching the perfect wave. As a fractional CTO and CPO, I've observed striking parallels between mastering the art of surfing and navigating the challenges of scaling SaaS operations. Let me share why this analogy resonates deeply with our operational excellence approach. Getting Past the Breakers: Building Your Foundation As surfers must paddle past the breaking waves to reach the calm waters beyond, scaling your SaaS operations requires pushing through initial challenges. Sometimes, like skilled surfers performing a duck dive, you must dive beneath the incoming waves to make progress. In SaaS operations, this means knowing when to go under, through, or around obstacles rather than letting them knock you off course. This strategic navigation involves: Recognizing which challenges require a head-on approach versus a more nuanced strategy Timing your moves to minimize disruption to ongoing operations Maintaining mom...

  The AI revolution isn't just coming—it's transforming how successful SaaS companies build, scale, and deliver value. But many aren't telling you that the real competitive edge isn't in having AI—it's in knowing how to use it strategically. Beyond the AI Buzzwords: What Moves the Needle Let's cut through the noise. While competitors chase the latest AI headlines, forward-thinking SaaS leaders quietly revolutionize their operations by treating AI as what it truly is: a powerful force multiplier for human expertise. The question isn't whether to adopt AI but how to deploy it for maximum impact. The Growth Leader's Playbook: Strategic AI Implementation 1. Accelerating Development Velocity Your engineering team's time is precious. Top-performing SaaS companies are using AI to eliminate the grunt work that slows down innovation. Think automated code reviews that catch bugs before they reach production, AI-assisted testing that covers edge cases human tes...