Bartender estimating order wait time from throughput data

Throughput: the flow metric behind team predictability

Throughput is the entry point into team predictability. First read the flow: time period, variability, work types, and the constraints around WIP. Forecasting comes after that. Premise Imagine walking into a bar on a Friday evening, exhausted, and ordering a beer flight. The bartender thinks: “Over the past hour we completed 12 orders; there are 4 in progress; this will be the fifth. Your flight will arrive in 20–25 minutes.” ...

September 10, 2025 · 7 min · Marat Kiniabulatov

Product Operations: simple steps to build transparent Feature Pipeline to dramatically lower Lead Time

(Experience from an AI-Based Fintech KYC SaaS Startup Focused on LATAM and Africa) Your regular challenge: When Sales, Marketing and IT Speak Different Languages Our SaaS startup served emerging fast-paced fintech markets (it still is). Speed + compliance were existential. Since most startups live on venture capital with limited runway, every delay in shipping value to the market means lost clients and regulatory risk. It also a huge roadblock on your path to become self-sustainable. So you need to be super frugal and efficient. ...

May 7, 2024 · 7 min · Marat Kiniabulatov