All CollectionsHow we think product should be runHow we think product should be runThe principles behind Grove, and why we built it this way.By Jack1 author·12 articlesOur product principlesThe ideas Grove is built on, and how each one shows up when you plan and build with Grove.Only the code got fasterAI made building software fast. Deciding what to build, and checking what got built, didn't get faster. That's why Grove exists.The product lead decidesGrove challenges your thinking and gives its view. The person accountable for the product makes the call.Start with the problemKnow who you're helping, what hurts, and why it matters, before you choose a solution.Product owns the why and what. Engineering owns the how.The plan says why the work matters and what it does. How to build it is up to the people who build it.Split big work into small projectsBreak an initiative into the smallest pieces that each give users something, and ship each one on its own.Give each project 1 to 3 outcomesMost projects need one to three outcomes. If a project needs more than four, split it, or move the extra lines to the requirements.Write outcomes anyone can checkWrite each outcome as a goal one user can finish, so anyone can try the product and say whether it's done.Requirements hold only what a coding agent can't decideKeep requirements short. Write only the product decisions a good builder couldn't make alone.A question beats a guessWhen the plan is unclear, ask the person who decides. A wrong guess costs more than a question.Shipped isn't done until someone checksMerged code isn't the finish line. A person tries the work, and only a person marks it done.Pull people in only when it mattersGrove asks for your attention only when you're the person who must act, so the things that need you stand out.
