Under the right circumstances and when used for their intended purposes, spreadsheets are among the most useful and impressive software tools ever developed. So, let’s get that out of the way upfront — we at Craft.io aren’t spreadsheet haters or skeptics. #GoSpreadsheets! In fact, we use them internally to build and manage our business. We just don’t use spreadsheets for our product work. Because… time and place.

For many businesses selling SaaS software and other modern tech solutions, the product mindset is built right into the corporate culture. But companies in older industries, such as bricks-and-mortar retail stores, have yet to embrace the product mindset – or, in many cases, even the product management role in general.