The Broken Record

How product teams keep repeating the same mistakes

In big product organizations, there’s this annoying habit we can’t seem to break. We do all this work—research, ideation, UX audits—pouring in so much time and effort to figure out how to fix or improve something. And then? We just sort of… move on. Sometimes nothing happens, or we pick at the edges, doing the bare minimum. Other times, the whole thing is dropped because business priorities shift, a new executive gets a bright idea, or there’s some urgent sales target we’re suddenly chasing. And so, all that work sits there, quietly ignored.

Fast forward a couple of years, and guess what? The same problems pop up again. Different people, same issues. The team decides, “Let’s do another UX audit,” as if the last one never happened. So we go through the motions again, identifying the same pain points, dusting off the same ideas that were floated years ago, maybe tweaking a few things but mostly covering old ground. It’s like living in a time loop—constantly repeating ourselves, wasting time and resources, and not actually solving anything.

You’d think we’d learn, right? But it happens again and again. Why? Part of the issue is just poor knowledge management. Things get lost. People leave, leaders change, and the collective memory fades. Those insights that once felt crucial are buried in some forgotten deck or document nobody looks at. And when new people come in, they’re not aware of what’s already been tried and tested. It’s easier to start fresh, to hit reset, than to dig through old files and find that gold we already mined.

There’s also the pressure of immediate business needs—revenue goals, strategic pivots, that new shiny thing the CEO is suddenly obsessed with. Long-term improvement projects get sidelined because they don’t fit the current narrative. So we keep the cycle going, spinning our wheels in a loop of ideation without action.

And let’s not even get started on documentation. Most of the time, findings from UX audits or research efforts get stored away in silos, disconnected from the everyday. There’s no single source of truth, no central place where past efforts are recorded and visible for everyone to build on. So, by the time someone thinks, “Hey, let’s do another round of user research,” they’re unaware that much of what they need is already there—if only anyone remembered.

So, how do we break the cycle? It starts with creating a living, breathing repository of insights—a centralized space where all past research, ideation sessions, and audits are housed. Not just a dumping ground for documents, but something dynamic, easily accessible, and regularly updated. This isn’t about nostalgia or hoarding data; it’s about continuity. It’s about being able to say, “Here’s what we learned back then; how can we build on that now?”

It’s also about integrating these past insights into the everyday workflow. This means making them part of the planning discussions, revisiting them during quarterly reviews, and actually referencing them when making decisions. Don’t just let them gather digital dust. Bring them up, question them, see if they still hold water, and figure out how they can inform the next steps. Cross-functional showcases can help here—getting teams together to share what they’ve learned and what they’re working on, so the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.

And speaking of actionable roadmaps, we need more of those and fewer lofty reports that get filed away. Every major insight should lead to a clear next step, with timelines, owners, and alignment to business goals. It’s about bridging the gap between what we discover and what we actually do. Action needs to be part of the DNA of our processes, not an afterthought.

Decision-making frameworks can help too. Tools like RICE (Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort) or MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have) are great for cutting through the noise and focusing on what really matters. They help bring objectivity to the process so we’re not just chasing the loudest voices or the shiniest ideas but making decisions that align with our broader goals.

But the biggest change needs to come from the culture. There’s a tendency in product teams to glorify newness—to be constantly in search of the next big thing. We need to shift that mindset to value follow-through as much as innovation. Leaders need to champion this. They need to push teams to see things through, not just to ideate but to act. And this isn’t just about accountability—it’s about creating a culture where follow-through is celebrated as much as the initial spark.

Of course, leadership changes throw a wrench in things. But even here, there’s room for improvement. When new leaders come in, there needs to be a proper handover—not just of projects, but of the knowledge that’s been gathered. It’s about keeping the momentum going rather than starting from scratch every time there’s a shake-up at the top.

At the end of the day, the goal is simple: stop the endless cycle of re-discovery and start actually doing something with all those great ideas. We’ve got to find a way to break the habit of “fire and forget” and turn those insights into impact. It’s not about doing more audits; it’s about doing something with what we already know. Let’s make sure our hard work doesn’t just sit there, gathering dust, but instead becomes the foundation we keep building on. It’s time to get out of the loop.