Feature passports are the bare minimum

Founders need to focus on shipping new features. Revenue depends on delivering more value to users, so the pressure to deliver is real. What often gets overlooked is the state of the systems those features rely on. Legacy modules that need attention, old shortcuts that slow teams down, and parts of the codebase no one fully understands anymore. Last month’s fast delivery became the benchmark, even if it came at a cost.

When engineers struggle to explain the long-term impact of continuously layering new features on an unstable foundation, the result is predictable: teams are building new things while simultaneously fighting the fires created by older ones.

To save time, new features are rushed. A short conversation with a product manager replaces proper analysis. When multiple teams work on different parts of the system, the risk increases. No one sees the full picture. You start hearing things like: “Team X is working on it, but we’re not sure what they’re building,” or “There’s a legacy part underneath this module, but team Y is building around it instead of fixing it.”

I understand the pressure to deliver. And I understand that legacy work rarely feels like the priority. But there is a simple step that prevents much of the chaos: write a feature passport for every feature you build. It doesn’t need to be long. Describe the problem, outline the solution, and define the scope.

With that clarity,  the different teams know what is being worked on. Engineers can make better decisions. They can integrate new work into existing systems more intentionally. They don’t have to rewrite the world, but they can improve what they touch. Even small steps compound if you create the space for them.