Recognizing the feature factory warning signs

Product teams often slide into dangerous patterns without realizing it. Feature factories prioritize shipping over creating value, measuring success by counting releases rather than tracking impact. The most damaging warning signs include:

• The absence of measurement. Teams ship features but never check if their work helped users or moved business metrics. They celebrate launches, then immediately move to the next project.
• "Success theater." Teams perform elaborate feature demonstrations but rarely discuss whether previous work achieved its goals.
• Rapid team shuffling. Instead of giving teams ownership over outcomes, feature factories treat developers like interchangeable parts. Teams get reassigned constantly, preventing them from seeing long-term impact. This reinforces that shipping matters more than results.^[1]