I autopsy failed products so others don’t die the same way
So I've been working on this for quite a while. Several months ago I've decided to create a collection of nail-coffined ideas of projects I was part of in different roles. Some were closed, some were ruined during development, and some even reached release, but still failed
At the same time, I was watching lots of Reddit "Startup ideas", where people generously shared their thoughts and project diaries. It became an easy target for the audit — founders documenting issues in real time, often without realising it
Patterns started emerging
Since I was always on leading roles — project manager, product manager, owner, CPO, COO, I could see every angle of product movement. Eventually, I realised that all failed projects fit into two categories:
The first case is rare — about 1%. The second one is where the real story is
Pure cluelessness
A system may look impressive, but if leadership doesn’t understand the direction, the product drifts. You can have excellent developers and analysts building strong proof of concept — and still go nowhere if decisions are detached from validated strategy
One example: a complete product rebrand. I made the research, go-to-market, market fit, competitors analysis, code architecture, UX map, and infrastructure — not just a new Jira project. The direction was evidence-based
The team selected an opposite approach
Where is this project now? In GitLab's archive
Responsibility vacuum
Titles don’t create ownership. Processes don’t replace clarity
I joined a 15-year-old product managed by one CEO, one CTO, one backend dev and one frontend dev. I set up workflows, adjusted infrastructure, removed overbuilds, solved tech debt, planned releases and annual roadmap, and created space for improvements and new features, including AI integrations
Everything worked until the moment a decision required a clear owner. Without accountability, delays stack, bugs multiply, and the system stalls — even if individual tasks are done correctly
Where is this project now? In negative territory
Motivation decay
Frameworks and rules don’t matter when contribution isn’t rewarded. Without motivation, teams shift from delivery to passive execution. Output becomes presence, not impact
Respect and responsibility are functional mechanisms. When they disappear — products lose momentum long before numbers reflect it
There are no complicated formulas here. No magical patterns. Just logic
Products rarely die suddenly. They erode. One ignored responsibility at a time
Failure is predictable if you know what to look for
Keeping your eyes open, acting with intent, and being fair to yourself and your team is enough to stay alive in this game
You don’t need to predict success. You just need to prevent predictable failure
