Software craftsmanship
Issue 252: Is it the end of R&D, S&M, and functional orgs?
I had a dinner conversation with a friend recently. Combined, we have 40 years of experience working in tech. We both work on AI at our companies and use AI tools in our projects. In our conversation, we’ve both shared how we’re seeing how disciplines of Engineering, Product, and Design are blending at work. Product Managers are bringing vibe-coded prototypes to meetings as they used to with Balsamiq mockups. The reports of the death of design have been greatly exaggerated. Every week, there is a discourse of “RIP Design” online, and yet, we’re still here (for now).
The conversation prompted a larger question for us. Is this the end of orgs by function? Is this the end of EPD?
Yes, it is. Ironically, the conversation about AI is how transformative it is for companies, yet many companies remain the same in how they work. Though new companies emerge with smaller teams and different ways of working, companies established before AI operate in the classic structure of Research and Development (R&D) and Sales and Marketing (S&M) business categories, used for accounting purposes. Why have we not seen these companies change?
Craft escalation
To riff on that iconic line from Batman Begins, when Lt. Jim Gordon tells Batman, “We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.”
We used to have clean org lines: designers made the mocks, engineers built the system, and product prioritized the roadmap. But then designers started coding, PMs started prototyping, and engineers began shaping the user experience. Now everyone’s doing everything. That’s escalation.
With the pressure to use AI at work, every function is finding ways to expand the scope of work to show more value. As a result, the way of working encroaches on what other functions traditionally do. Not only are product managers bringing vibe-coded prototypes, but designers are also contributing code. Given how volatile the market has been these past few years, it’s no surprise that functions may get defensive. We are all fighting to show value and survive.
But what if instead of the escalation of our crafts, we focus on the collective evolution together?
Evolving our crafts
I don’t believe the functions go away entirely. They blend, forming a shared craft—but what remains essential is the commitment to excellence within each discipline. AI becomes the new baseline. It accelerates workflows, generates first drafts, and levels the playing field. But this also means the outputs are increasingly average—default templates, default responses, and default ideas.
We’ve seen this before. When Twitter Bootstrap was released, it revolutionized front-end development. Suddenly, anyone could build a decent-looking UI quickly. But the side effect? Everything started to look the same, so much so that websites like Every Bootstrap Website Ever became a meme. The web was filled with rounded buttons, blue nav bars, and uniform layouts. Speed and efficiency came at the price of reduced distinction.
New way of working
The escalation protocol of each function equipping itself with AI capabilities is frightening. People may wonder, “If others are doing my job, what will happen to me?” Bringing new capabilities while keeping the status quo of working is like getting a 3D printer but still running it through an assembly line. It’s not effective.
There are two implications in this new way of working. First, the iteration cycle is now real-time. We no longer have to spend as much time planning the work and analyzing it. The classic two-week sprint is now two days, or even two hours. The reason product managers bring prototypes instead of PRDs is that it would have taken a lot of effort to produce one. Now they can “3D print” a prototype to discuss with an artifact that everyone can react to. Designers can now build internal apps to increase efficiency or take on “nice to have” tickets to improve product quality. This is what the Intercom team is doing. Plan, Design, Develop, Test, Release, and Feedback all happen in the same sprint now.
The second implication is the enablement of tooling and infrastructure. In any company I work at, my role is investing in internal tooling and capabilities to multiply team members. Each function now has the opportunity to augment others. Engineers can build endpoints and technical tools for designers to design with the material of LLMs. Designers can create templates that retain the quality of the design system so product managers can vibe code gracefully. Product Managers and Researchers can develop dynamic knowledge bases so there is more access to customer and business insights for Designers and Engineers.
The real-time iteration cycle still requires critical thinking and consideration. It’s not about the time decreasing and moving faster. The knowledge and insight are of a better quality to make decisions that feel more rapid.
Future roles and teams
The craft of our functions doesn't change, but the roles and how teams work do. What remains is that each function needs to continue to elevate excellence. Designers collaborate with Product Managers on how the role of taste, intention, and elevated experiences is key.
We all make. We all build. We all debug. We all ship.
Making is expressive. The building is structural.
Together, they form craftsmanship.
Craftsmanship is what happens when making meets building with care.
Recap
Focus on the evolution of the craft of our functions, not escalating
Making + Building = Craftsmanship
The iteration cycle is real-time
Our craft will focus on pushing new originalities while building tooling to enable strong standards
Teams will organize around impact vs. functional role
To remix the iconic R.E.M. song from 1987, it’s the end of EPD as we know it (and I feel fine).
Hyperlinks + notes
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