It was a damp Sunday in Vancouver, the kind of day that usually leads me to a slow morning with a hot coffee. But instead, I was at the UBC Product Management Club (PMC) conference. The energy was electric. I was surrounded by a room full of students and product managers and "proto-product managers” - the next generation of talent - all eager to discuss the tectonic shifts AI is causing in product management.

Optimization vs. Explosion

When most people talk about AI in product management, they talk about optimization. They want to shorten delivery lifecycles by 10% or shave costs off the bottom line - often with an eye on removing people from the delivery process. That’s safe. That’s incremental.

But the real power of AI isn't a better treadmill; it’s a launchpad.

We are entering the era of AI-Disruptors. 2-3 person teams using AI to build products that can upend entire industries. They aren't just working faster; they are working differently.

1 Week to Build, 10 Weeks to Release

During a conversation after the workshop, a Product Manager shared a story that perfectly encapsulates the modern organizational crisis.

Her small team of four had built a robust, well-architected feature designed to delight their customers. They did it in one week. It was approved by enterprise architects and met every technical standard. Yet, it sat idle, held up in a "brand and compliance" review cycle for nearly three months.

The Reality: 1 week to create value. 10 weeks to realize it.

This is the "AI Stressor" in action. AI hasn't just optimized the workflow; it has exploded expectations. When a team can move at the speed of thought, the traditional, sluggish institutions of corporate governance don't just feel slow, they feel like a straitjacket.

The Cultural Organ Rejection

There is a profound danger here. This high-performing team creating rapid customer value needs elevation, support, and recognition. Instead, the disconnect between their speed and the company's "old ways" is so vast that the corporate culture is likely to expel them like a foreign body rather than learn to accommodate and empower them.

If we think AI is an optimization technology, we risk pushing current practices and ways of working way beyond the breaking point. If your organization doesn’t adapt its "immune system" to allow these fast-moving teams to thrive, you won’t just lose customers, you’ll lose your best people.

Navigating the Disconnect

At IncrementOne, we help organizations navigate this exact friction point. We don’t just teach you how to use AI; we help you evolve your organizational institutions and ways of working to handle "blow-you-away" performance without compromising quality, security, or brand integrity.

The gap between "built" and “released” can provide security and confidence, or it can drain the energy out of your most innovative teams. It’s time to close that gap.

Is your organization ready for the speed of AI, or is your compliance cycle holding your future hostage?

Contact us at IncrementOne to find out how we can help you create the space for explosive delivery.