Stop negotiating sprints in Slack
POCO Steering OS generates structured pushback, converts requests into sprint-ready tasks, and gives you a defendable plan when the CEO changes scope mid-sprint.
What is POCO?
POCO (Product Companion) is not a project management tool. It's the control system that decides what enters your sprints. Think of it as a scope firewall between stakeholder chaos and your team's focus.
It IS
- A scope firewall for incoming requests
- An automatic pushback generator
- A converter from mess to sprint-ready work
- A tradeoff proposal engine
It is NOT
- Another Jira or Linear (you keep those)
- A task tracker or kanban board
- A replacement for your PM tools
- Just another productivity app
Concrete steering, no buzzwords
Each feature solves a specific pain with an explicit mechanism
Pain:
Stakeholder requests something without context
Outcome:
Generates 5-7 instant validation questions so you don't accept incomplete requests
Pain:
Mid-sprint changes without documentation
Outcome:
Compares request vs. current sprint and flags what's out of scope with evidence
Pain:
CEO wants to add something urgent but sprint is full
Outcome:
Automatically proposes what to remove, time saved, and impact of each change
Pain:
Request requires specs, design, legal, and dev
Outcome:
Breaks down into tasks by owner with dependencies, blocks dev until others finish
Pain:
Never clear when something is ready for dev
Outcome:
Forces definition of acceptance criteria, dependencies, and rollback plan before marking as ready
Pain:
Stakeholder forgets what was agreed 2 days ago
Outcome:
Generates signable summary: what's in, what's out, what's assumed, what can explode. With timestamp.
How it works
3 steps. No configuration. No mandatory integrations.
Intake
Copy the stakeholder request (Slack, email, Notion) and paste it into POCO.
Pushback
POCO analyzes the request, detects missing info, generates validation questions and proposes scope alternatives if poorly specified.
Sprint-ready output
You get: tasks broken down by owner, definition of done, dependencies, acceptance criteria, and a scope contract you can copy back to the stakeholder.
Real use cases
Situations you recognize from your day-to-day
Scenario:
CEO says "we need this for Friday's demo" when there are already 3 features in progress.
How POCO helps:
POCO compares the new request with the current sprint, detects the conflict, and generates 3 tradeoff options: what features to pause, how much time is really needed, and the impact on the original demo. You generate a response like: "To add this, we must remove X or postpone Y. What do we prioritize?"
Scenario:
Sales promises a "simple Salesforce integration" without knowing it requires OAuth, webhooks, and data model changes.
How POCO helps:
You paste Sales' request into POCO. It detects that the integration requires technical specifications, legal approval to share data, and client coordination. POCO breaks down the work into tasks for Sales (get API keys, client specs), Legal (review contract), and Dev (implement). Dev can't start until Sales and Legal finish. Output: a breakdown with clear owners and dependencies.
Scenario:
A stakeholder says "let's add push notifications" without specifying: for what events, what copy, opt-in/opt-out, what happens if it fails.
How POCO helps:
POCO detects the gaps: need to define events, messaging, error handling, user permissions, tracking. Generates a set of questions for the stakeholder: "What events trigger notifications? What if the user rejects permissions? What's the fallback?" + a proposal for acceptance criteria. Won't allow marking as ready until answered.
Questions you probably have
Direct answers, no marketing
Building in public
We're building POCO with real feedback from PMs and founders
PMs/POs in waitlist testing
Requests processed in closed beta
Reduction in scope creep reported by testers
📸 Tool screenshots, user quotes, and roadmap updates:
Follow the build on Twitter/X →Early adopter pricing
We're in MVP. Price will increase when we exit beta.
What happens next: After signup: we send you an access link + Slack invitation for feedback. No formal onboarding.
What happens next: After payment: immediate access + calendar link for onboarding call (30min).
Team of 5+ people? Let's talk Team Plan
Ready to stop negotiating sprints in Slack?
Try POCO free. No card. No heavy onboarding. Just paste a request and see what happens.
⚡ Instant access • 🔒 No confidential data required • 🎯 Setup in <2 minutes