Tech Corner: How Cut+Dry Does People-Led Product Development

There’s no shortage of product development frameworks out there—Scrum, Kanban, you name it. But at Cut+Dry, we’ve found success by doing things a little differently. From its inception, our focus has been to double down on capable people, flexible thinking, and a structure that gives teams the freedom to do their best work. As with most of our processes, we deliberately avoid rigid methodologies and overly structured roadmaps.

The “Pod’ Model

Big teams and complex hierarchies are pretty common in traditional software orgs. But I’ve found that smaller, focused groups deliver better results. So we built our product development teams around “pods”—tight-knit teams of three to four engineers plus a product manager. Inspired by the Spotify model, these pods are lean by design. The idea isn’t just efficiency—it’s empowerment.

Each pod operates with autonomy. There’s no one-size-fits-all process. Some teams use versions of commonly practiced processes, and a few have even built their own frameworks. We are not focused on the process, we want results. The goal is to let each team figure out what works best for them. Our founding team brought experience from startups and large companies —and one lesson stood out: rigid processes don’t scale creativity.

We don’t do long, prescriptive product roadmaps either. Our process starts with broad objectives set by leadership. From there, each pod gets clarity on their goals—but how they get there is entirely up to them.

I must say, though, that this model only works if you’ve got strong, independent thinkers. We look for people who are self-starters and capable of owning an objective from start to finish. Did we actually move the needle? That’s the bar.

Down memory lane: early days of Cut+Dry

The MVP Mindset in Product Development

We’re big believers in shipping fast, learning fast. Our pods are encouraged to start with the smallest possible version of a feature—just enough to validate the idea. We call this the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and it’s how we avoid long development cycles that lead to overbuilt, underused products.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

1. We launch small.

2. We measure real usage.

3. We listen to customers.

4. And we iterate quickly.

This approach helps us reduce time-waste, adapt quickly, and de-risk product development in a meaningful way.

How do we measure our success? We don’t track lines of code or number of tickets closed. Instead, every pod defines three to five metrics that truly reflect progress. These aren’t vanity metrics—they’re tightly tied to the pod’s objectives. Whether it’s increased user engagement, reduced churn, or revenue growth, the goal is to measure impact. It’s outcomes we want, not outputs. 

Failure happens. And when it does, we don’t play the blame game. If a pod misses a goal, we ask: why? Maybe the idea didn’t land. Maybe we misread the problem. Maybe we just need to try a new approach. Every misstep is a data point—and part of the learning process.

The Human Factor

This whole model only works because of the people. We invest heavily in hiring exceptional talent and then get out of their way. No micromanagement. No unnecessary layers. We trust our teams to figure things out—and they do.

This means:

• Minimal overhead

• Flexibility to experiment

• Freedom to adjust the process as needed

• A strong bias toward action

Even as Cut+Dry grows, we’re committed to maintaining that start-up agility. Our processes evolve alongside our products. An MVP for a brand-new feature might be scrappy and undocumented. But once it’s stable and adopted, we layer in more rigor. It’s a balancing act—and we like it that way.

Looking Ahead

We’re not trying to follow a playbook. We’re building one that fits us. The pod model isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. It’s all about creating an environment where great people can do their best work, move fast, and make real impact.

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This blog was written by Chathuraka Waas, Senior Director of Product at Cut+Dry. He has led product strategy and execution since joining as Product Manager in 2019. Chathuraka began his tech career in 2011 as a software engineer, advancing through roles at Mazarin and The Gifted Company, where he worked on numerous tech products. Chathuraka strives to create products that customer love.