Jordan Phillips

Jordan Phillips

Tokyo
American product management person, podcaster, and all-around dilettante in Tokyo.
May
25
An abstract illustration of circles and sharp triangles with mechanical touches, evoking iterative cycles and rocketry.

ProdFund 1.2: Intro to Iteration

Iterative & Incremental Development got its start in classic early 20th century manufacturing and evolved through pioneering NASA projects into an important precursor of how we work today.
16 min read
May
24
Photograph of a small waterfall cascading down the wall of a room full of servers.

ProdFund 1.1: Chasing Waterfalls

To understand why we make software the way that we do, we start from the beginning, with the earliest programmable computers, exponential growth, NATO's first "software engineers," and Winston Royce's articulation of the Waterfall.
20 min read
May
23
Cover image for the Product Fundamentals podcast.

New project: Product Fundamentals

I've written, recorded, and produced a podcast about the history of software development, called Product Fundamentals. Check it out!
2 min read
Apr
11
Tips for preparing to move to Japan

Tips for preparing to move to Japan

Beyond readying your the packing list and brushing up on Japanese phrases, there are a few things to do at home to prepare for a smooth transition into Japanese life.
4 min read
Apr
04
Building your emergency fund in Japan

Building your emergency fund in Japan

Establishing an ample emergency fund is critical to personal financial security, but it's a little more complicated for foreigners in Japan.
8 min read
Mar
22
Can Americans in Japan use NISA accounts?

Can Americans in Japan use NISA accounts?

Americans can take advantage of Japan's NISA program -- but it requires walking a narrow path.
7 min read
Nov
25
All in the timing

All in the timing

There's an apparently-false story that occasionally makes the round among lefty circles that some branch of the US
5 min read
Oct
04
The Machine That Changed the World

The Machine That Changed the World

"The Machine That Changed the World" was the Toyota Production System, the archetypal lean manufacturing system. Does that machine have anything to do with lean software?
5 min read
Sep
26
Singapore and Malaysia reflections

Singapore and Malaysia reflections

As the transitional decompression activity between my previous role as technical product manager at Indeed and my new role as
7 min read