The manuscript for Product Velocity is nearing completion. I am on schedule to meet the March deadline. Current status:
- 73,789 words
- 5 parts
- 26 chapters
- 16 chapters complete, the remainder partially drafted
- 10 case studies already published online and referenced from the book
The manuscript will be submitted to MIT Press at the end of March. Publication is planned for late summer 2027.
If you are unfamiliar with academic publishing: this timeline is normal. Peer review, editing, typesetting, marketing, and global distribution take time. This process ensures quality and longevity. It is one reason why books from MIT Press remain relevant for decades.
But the publication date is not the key event, and none of this changes the urgency of the underlying problem.
Why We Need Product Velocity Now
Complex products are not waiting for 2027. Software-defined systems, AI integration, regulatory pressure and cross-domain dependencies are increasing complexity. Many organizations have adopted Lean, Agile, or DevOps. Yet coordination across Business, Engineering, Delivery and long-term stewardship remains fragmented.
Local optimization is common. Systemic velocity is rare.
If we accept that velocity in cyber-physical product development depends on explicit orchestration between practices, then waiting for a printed book is not a strategy.
What Happens Until Publication
Over the next 18 months, I will actively focus my energy on the following activities:
- Apply the Velocity Loop to concrete bottlenecks
- Identify and reduce cost of delay in real projects
- Publish additional case studies
- Refine the concept of System Stewardship
- Continue writing and speaking publicly
The book formalizes the thinking. The work between now and publication validates and sharpens it. Several events are already lined up:
- 31 March – Conquering Complexity (90-minute workshop)
- 27–29 April – ReConf (4-hour workshop + talk, get 10% off with Promo code: REC26_SPRE_2523)
- 7/8 May – MESCONF (focus session)
- 8/9 June – MBSE Summit (60-minute breakout session)
These events are stress-testing the ideas with practitioners and are about gathering feedback, to make Product Velocity as relevant and effective as possible.
If You Are Facing This…
You might find this relevant if:
- Cost of delay is invisible but painful
- Coordination across disciplines creates friction
- DevOps works locally but not systemically
- AI increases output but not alignment
In that case, the period before publication might be the most interesting one. The book will codify Product Velocity. But Product Velocity does not start with a publication date. It starts where bottlenecks become visible and are addressed deliberately.
Conclusion
The manuscript is almost complete. The publication timeline is set. What matters now is whether the ideas prove useful in practice. The next 18 months will determine that.
If you are working on complex products and see recurring coordination problems, this is a good time to start the conversation.
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