Progress over Consensus

Waiting for everyone to agree is how products die.

Consensus feels safe, but it’s often procrastination dressed as process. Sometimes you need to move forward with “good enough” alignment — and let progress create the clarity that meetings never will.

And when you need alignment, talk first. That 20-page PRD you spent a week writing? Nobody read it. A 10-minute conversation often achieves more alignment than a 10-page document. Talk first to understand, then write to remember. Documents should capture decisions, not replace the conversations that lead to them.

What This Means in Practice

• Disagree and commit — then actually commit
• Set deadlines for decisions, not just discussions
• Have the conversation before writing the doc
• Accept that not everyone will be happy (that’s normal)
• Use documents as records, not replacements for dialogue
• Course-correct in motion, not at rest
• For complex or sensitive topics, talk first — then document what was decided

Common Traps

• Scheduling another meeting to “align stakeholders”
• Waiting for unanimous approval before acting
• Writing PRDs as your first step instead of talking to the team
• Hiding behind documents to avoid difficult conversations
• Letting one dissenter block the entire team
• Mistaking politeness for agreement

Remember

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw

Progress creates clarity. Stalling creates confusion. Talk first. Document what matters.