We learned to build products when software was expensive, so the whole process evolved to protect engineering time. Research, specs, prioritization and alignment all happened before anything real could exist. That made sense when the cost of a wrong build was measured in months. Now a working version can often be made before the meeting about whether to make it has ended. Building is becoming part of thinking. A prototype can answer questions that opinion cannot because people behave differently around something real than they do around an idea. Good judgment now means knowing which questions deserve more thought and which should be handed to reality immediately. When the prototype costs less than the conversation, build the prototype.
