A series on what it really takes to make a complex, custom-built product suitable for configuration — and who's ultimately responsible for that decision.
The core idea: why a good CPQ project starts by simplifying your product, not by configuring existing complexity. With the 80% case where engineering time became more than ten times shorter.
Not all customisation is a problem. The difference between customisation that strengthens your proposition, and customisation that quietly creeps in and mostly just costs you time.
How recurring exceptions are a signal that the market has shifted, and how to translate that structurally into a standard that keeps pace.
Why standardisation must be a strategic decision made by leadership — and what happens when sales and engineering are left to make that call alone.
A short conversation quickly brings clarity on the next step.