In many product design teams today, work is divided neatly into fields. The result is a familiar waterfall process, where strategy leads to UX, UX leads to UI, UI leads to “finished” designs, and only then does engineering begin.

One cost is that the work is slow. Product teams struggle under the weight of these processes and, at worst, end up filling their time completing checklists instead of doing impactful work.

Plan like a farmer by being deliberate about planning. A farmer has a clear goal (grow the best apple), but knows it is impossible to predict the weather. Instead of laying out a rigid plan ahead of time, they stay agile and respond as things happen.