Field Notes · 12 May 2026
Name the modules that will not move in the first release
A rebuild plan fails quietly when every surface is treated as equally movable. Start by naming what stays put.
Portal rebuild programmes often begin with a catalogue of desired improvements. That list is useful later. First, write the opposite list: modules that must remain stable through the first cutover.
Stable modules are not sacred forever. They are ballast. Identity, invoicing hooks, or a partner notification path may need to stay while catalogue screens change. When sponsors refuse to name ballast, every team invents its own freeze rules.
In Taipei programmes we facilitate, the ballast conversation usually takes a half day and saves weeks of thrash. Put the list in the roadmap cover note so finance and delivery argue from the same page.