Your Product Has Too Many Ingredients
Some of the best products in the world right now are not apps or gadgets. They are the slices you buy at that local New York pizzeria. In that slice you will find a level of obsession that most software teams would never dare to match. Every ingredient has a job. Every component is intentional. Whether they know it or not, these operators already run their own Contralto Board.
Imagine if we built software the same way.
Artisanship and Attention to Detail
A good pizza begins long before it hits the oven. It starts with high protein flour, sometimes with a touch of malt or vital wheat gluten, mineral rich water, and a slow fermentation process that requires patience. Then comes the sauce, the cheese, the toppings. Each one is selected with care and with a sense of responsibility to the final slice.
That kind of discipline is rare in software. We have more tools than ever to ship quickly, but far less commitment to crafting something cohesive. My work with Contralto is an attempt to bring back that sense of intention or maybe even will it into existence since it's never truly existed in our field. I want to break products down, understand what each part is meant to do, and build something people genuinely look forward to using.
If Pizza Looked Like Today’s Software
Now imagine a small New York pizzeria trying to build a new signature pie the same way modern software often gets built.
It starts with a committee meeting. One person wants thin crust, another wants deep dish, someone else demands gluten free, and a consultant suggests Detroit style since that seems to be popular. The final crust becomes a lifeless compromise that excites no one, but the group approves it because everyone contributed.
Work is then split into tickets. Implement crust. Add cheese MVP. Pepperoni version one. Each task is completed in isolation, without anyone stepping back to see if the elements form an actual pizza.
Customer requests begin to roll in. One person mentions pineapple. Another wants heat. Another asks for a basil drizzle. Suddenly all of it becomes roadmap material. The menu bloats with anchovies, olives, jalapeños, marshmallows, anything to appease whoever spoke last. The kitchen loses focus and the ingredients decline in quality because there's too much to manage.
Eventually they ship something. It is a crust with a single piece of cheese in the middle. Technically it is pizza in the same way a login screen is technically an app. The team celebrates their velocity.
Over time the pie becomes overloaded. Consistency collapses and ingredients spoil. What should have been a simple and beautiful slice becomes something that tastes like a backlog.
Avoiding Drift and Focusing on What Works
The next time you enjoy a great slice, think about the level of intention behind it and how rarely software receives the same treatment. A tool like the Contralto Board helps you map every feature back to the problem it was meant to solve. If a feature no longer connects to a real problem, or its relevance is fading, it is probably time to rethink the ingredient.
A good product should feel cohesive. It should not try to please everyone. It is even acceptable if it upsets some people. That is often the sign of something with a point of view, something that leaves an imprint. That's unique in a world full of copy cat SaaS products.
And when people love it, it becomes part of their life in the same way a perfect slice becomes part of a neighborhood.