Adapt or Die

Melissa Perri recounts how her consulting work began by sneaking product management into companies under buzzwords like agile and digital, since 'product management' itself got doors shut. Executives' stated reason for change was always survival: they needed to adapt or die. She argues that the early weeks of a 2020 crisis act as a reality check revealing which companies built real adaptability versus those that only adopted rituals like standups and Kanban boards. Adaptability rests on a clear strategy and north star, informed knowledge of current work, empowered teams, close customer contact, and the ability to change direction quickly. She contrasts two similar firms: one scrambled to move work remote and paused its strategy, while the other had already prepared and was building new functionality for a changed world. The essay closes by saying disciplined product management and ruthless prioritization matter more when budgets tighten.

01Key takeaways

• Explain the value of product management in terms leaders already care about, such as survival, speed, or competitiveness, rather than the label itself.
• Ground your strategy in a clear north star so teams can make consistent decisions without constant approval.
• Keep current work visible with enough information to decide what to start, stop, or continue.
• Build communication and reporting infrastructure that keeps distributed teams aligned, which reduces the urge to micromanage.
• Stay close to customers and anticipate their emerging problems so you can spot new opportunities early.
• When budgets tighten, focus hard on a few bets instead of trying to build everything, and adjust your existing plan rather than discarding it.

02Key sections

Sneaking product in through buzzwords

Perri describes how early consulting required disguising product management as lean, agile, or digital transformation, because executives resisted the product label. Once inside, she introduced good product practices gradually.

The real reason for change

When asked why they wanted agile or digital, executives consistently answered that they needed to adapt or die. Perri frames transformation as a survival imperative rather than a process fad.

A readiness checklist

She poses five questions about strategy, knowledge, team autonomy, customer contact, and speed of strategic change to test whether an organization can adapt.

Two companies, two outcomes

Comparing two similar firms during the crisis, she shows how the one that invested in adaptable strategy and communication infrastructure stayed aligned and kept innovating, while the other struggled and paused.

Focus under tight budgets

She argues that scarce money makes ruthless prioritization and a north-star strategy essential, and that adapting means adjusting rather than starting over.

03From the post

“I started consulting in 2014. It was supposed to be temporary, a way to pay the bills as I figured out which company I wanted to join next as a VP of Product. As I got more and more calls from ex-colleagues and those who saw my talks, I started to consider consulting…”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.