Connor Driscoll

I've been a product manager in supply chain and logistics for ten years. Most recently at Turvo, where I owned location, order, appointment scheduling, and inventory in a freight TMS. Before that, supply chain SaaS at GEP Worldwide and retail supply chain at Albertsons during the Safeway merger. Earlier, Zulily and Boeing.

The thing I kept running into is that this software is almost always designed by people who've never had to use it under pressure. I've sat with dispatchers who keep a spreadsheet open next to the TMS we sold them, because the system couldn't handle the one case that comes up every single day. That spreadsheet is the real requirement. Most roadmaps never go looking for it.

Most of the companies I talk to are in the same spot. They have engineers, they have customers, and they don't have anyone whose actual job is deciding what to build. Sometimes they tried a hire and it didn't take. Either way, a head of product is a big swing when you're not sure yet what the role should be.

I studied Operations & Supply Chain Management at Gonzaga, which seemed boring at twenty and has been the most useful line on my resume ever since. I live in Boise with my wife and kids. On a weekend I'm usually on a gravel bike, going slower than I'd like.