Q4 roadmap: three bets and a parking lot
Thirteen weeks, nine people, one rule: nothing gets added unless something leaves.
The three bets
Each bet has one owner and one number. If the number does not move, the bet did not work, however nice the launch post was.
First invoice in one sitting
New accounts sign up, meet 14 setup fields and leave to do it later. We cut setup to 5 fields and import customers from a spreadsheet.
EEricReminders that sound human
Our payment reminders read like a parking ticket. Sam is rewriting all 6, and customers get to pick the tone. See the launch checklist.
SSamExports accountants do not hate
41 support tickets a month are somebody's accountant asking for the columns in a different order. Saved export layouts end that. The interviews agree.
MCMaya and ClaudeTimeline
The dashed line is today. Everything to its right is a promise.
- Research and writing
- Build
- Ship
- Measure
- Code freeze
The parking lot
Good ideas we are choosing not to do this quarter. Saying so out loud is the point of this page.
- Mobile appRequested by 4 customers, each of them loudly. Back in Q1 with real numbers.
- Dark modeRequested by Eric, daily. He may build it on a Friday once all three bets are green.
- An AI assistant in the productWe asked Claude whether we needed one. Claude said to fix exports first.
- Rewriting the billing engineNo.
What could go wrong
| Risk | Odds | If it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Exports slip past the Dec 18 freeze | Medium | Ship saved layouts for CSV only. Spreadsheet formats wait for January. |
| Long-time customers dislike the new reminders | Low | The old wording stays one click away for 60 days. |
| Eric starts dark mode anyway | High | Maya hides his laptop charger. |
Rule of the page: to add a line, delete a line. Last change: Eric moved dark mode into the bets. Maya moved it back.