# InsideProduct Practical ideas to help you get control of the software and systems behind your growing business. Whether you run the business or own the systems, this is for you. Page: Feed: --- ## [Prioritization is picking what you do and don’t build](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/prioritization-is-picking-what-you) _2026-08-19 · Kent J McDonald_ Some things to consider the next time you need to do a prioritization exercise on your product. ## [How to determine which decisions you should make](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/how-to-determine-which-decisions) _2026-08-13 · Kent J McDonald_ A practical model for product owners of business systems to distinguish strategy, initiative, and delivery decisions. ## [Judgment: The habit that quietly makes BA and PM careers](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/judgment-the-habit-that-quietly-makes) _2026-08-05 · Kent J McDonald_ Why the people closest to the work need a repeatable way to balance impact and context, instead of waiting for someone else to decide. ## [The build vs buy decision starts with purpose](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/the-build-vs-buy-decision-starts) _2026-07-29 · Kent J McDonald_ Why you should understand the activity you're supporting before you decide how you'll support it. ## [Not every system request deserves innovation](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/not-every-system-request-deserves) _2026-07-22 · Kent J McDonald_ A convoluted forecasting model, a billboard test, and the two questions that decided whether to rebuild it exactly as it was. ## [Before you say yes to that “quick” system change](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/before-you-say-yes-to-that-quick) _2026-07-17 · Kent J McDonald_ How to use a simple discovery path—talk, capture, clarify, filter, plan—to decide which requests are actually worth doing. ## [Why your business systems keep letting you down](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/why-your-business-systems-keep-letting) _2026-07-10 · Kent J McDonald_ If you’ve suddenly owned a business system without a playbook, this is how to keep it from becoming brittle, full of workarounds, and ripe for a rebuild. ## [I almost wasted HubSpot AI credits. Here's what stopped me.](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/i-almost-wasted-hubspot-ai-credits) _2026-06-29 · Kent J McDonald_ A sales center manager asked for a chatbot. Thirty interactions later, the real answer was somewhere else entirely. ## [The consultant left. The CRM stayed.](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/the-consultant-left-the-crm-stayed) _2026-06-22 · Kent J McDonald_ What you actually need to know - and what you can safely hand off. ## [Crush Every Threat in Real Time (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/YWTN8BlRfVTd) _2026-06-22 · **Sponsored**_ One agent for real-time detection, exposure tracking, and active defense. ## [You didn't sign up to own the CRM](https://insideproduct.substack.com/p/you-didnt-sign-up-to-own-the-crm) _2026-06-17 · Kent J McDonald_ You have all the CRM responsibility and none of the authority. Here's the framework nobody gave you.