Product management consulting for established product organizations. Better decisions, customer learning, and practical AI with Dave Mathias.https://gobeyondthedata.comhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/give-reality-edit-accesshttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/give-reality-edit-accessA useful plan creates a disciplined way for reality to revise it. Give teams a way to test assumptions, respond to evidence, and keep commitments current.Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/contrarian-thinking-is-a-discipline-not-a-personalityhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/contrarian-thinking-is-a-discipline-not-a-personalityThe goal is not more disagreement. It is better decisions made before agreement becomes automatic.Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-personas-rehearsal-not-researchhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-personas-rehearsal-not-researchAI personas can improve customer preparation, but they cannot replace customer research. The right boundary turns simulation into useful rehearsal instead of invented evidence.Mon, 21 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/the-ideal-product-playbook-owes-you-a-path-from-herehttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/the-ideal-product-playbook-owes-you-a-path-from-hereProduct principles give us direction. Context determines the next responsible move. The ideal product playbook owes teams a credible path from where they are.Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-can-give-you-more-time-with-customershttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-can-give-you-more-time-with-customersAI can reduce the work around customer discovery. The harder question is whether product teams will use that capacity to get closer to customers or simply produce more.Thu, 03 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/strategy-vs-execution-is-a-lie-you-tell-yourselfhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/strategy-vs-execution-is-a-lie-you-tell-yourselfProduct leaders do not need a handoff between strategy and execution. They need a faster loop from intent to evidence, and AI can help create room for it.Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/stop-hiring-coaches-like-youre-hiring-referenceshttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/stop-hiring-coaches-like-youre-hiring-referencesThe right coach is not the one with the best credentials or the warmest first call. It is the one whose strengths fit the problem you actually need solved.Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/a-score-is-not-a-strategyhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/a-score-is-not-a-strategyHow product teams can make better tradeoffs, choose the right prioritization framework, and use AI without outsourcing judgment.Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-should-not-do-your-thinkinghttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/ai-should-not-do-your-thinkingThe hardest AI skill is not prompting. It is knowing when the answer deserves your trust, and using AI to strengthen rather than replace human judgment.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/productcamp-conversations-podcasthttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/productcamp-conversations-podcastAllison Herbert and Dave Mathias are taking the spirit of ProductCamp into a new weekly podcast about community, the human side of product, and what practitioners learn when they compare notes.Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/the-amnesia-tax-what-forgetting-costs-your-organizationhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/the-amnesia-tax-what-forgetting-costs-your-organizationOrganizations pay a hidden tax every time they relitigate a decision they already made. Here's what the amnesia tax is, why it compounds, and how to stop paying it.Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/your-ai-pilot-didnt-fail-your-decision-process-didhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/your-ai-pilot-didnt-fail-your-decision-process-didMost stalled enterprise AI pilots weren't killed by the technology. They were killed by decisions nobody made. Here's the diagnosis and what to do differently.Mon, 11 May 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/vibe-coding-has-two-jobshttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/vibe-coding-has-two-jobsVibe coding earns its keep in two places: de-risking product bets before engineering gets expensive, and solving the long tail of internal problems engineering will never touch. Here's how to run both.Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/stop-documenting-decisions-start-remembering-themhttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/stop-documenting-decisions-start-remembering-themYour decision docs are write-only memory. Here's the difference between documenting decisions and actually remembering them, and how product teams can close the gap.Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/data-storytelling-when-ai-writes-the-first-drafthttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/data-storytelling-when-ai-writes-the-first-draftAI can now summarize your dashboard in seconds. That makes data storytelling more important, not less. Here's what changes for analysts and product teams when the machine writes the first draft.Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/twelve-great-non-product-and-non-data-podcasts-for-product-design-and-data-peoplehttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/twelve-great-non-product-and-non-data-podcasts-for-product-design-and-data-peoplePodcasts have emerged in popularity as a valuable resource, offering in-depth discussions, expert interviews, and industry insights on various topics. In this blog post, I am providing recommendations of twelve…Tue, 30 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/unlocking-the-potential-of-generative-ai-10-prompt-engineering-recommendationshttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/unlocking-the-potential-of-generative-ai-10-prompt-engineering-recommendationsTen practical ways product managers and designers can communicate more effectively with generative AI.Tue, 16 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/integrating-generative-ai-questions-to-answer-for-an-existing-producthttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/integrating-generative-ai-questions-to-answer-for-an-existing-productA practical set of product questions to answer before adding generative AI to an existing product.Tue, 09 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/harnessing-the-power-of-ai-in-product-developmenthttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/harnessing-the-power-of-ai-in-product-developmentPractical ways AI can make product managers and designers more effective throughout product development.Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMThttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/we-can-all-benefit-from-a-little-empathy-and-a-maphttps://gobeyondthedata.com/thoughts/we-can-all-benefit-from-a-little-empathy-and-a-mapUnderstanding your customer, your audience, and even people close to you is not easy. It takes effort. It takes intentional listening. It takes intentional action. One technique to help you understand others is through…Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT