The Secret to a Great Tomato Sauce: Why Domain Knowledge Still Matters

Reclaiming the value of experience in a tech-obsessed world

In an era consumed by technological innovation and process automation, we’ve quietly and sometimes unintentionally, pushed something invaluable to the margins: domain knowledge.

We are moving fast. AI, procedural workflows, low-code, no-code, new dashboards, new metrics, new ways of optimising everything. But in all this movement, we’re leaving behind the people who actually know things. Not data points. Not systems. People who carry deep, hard-earned, lived experience. The kind that doesn’t show up in a sprint review.

I’m reminded of an art director I worked with years ago. He still hand-sketched everything. Every idea, every pitch - the old paper and pencil would be pulled out. He’d sit in a corner, sometimes for hours, scribbling and reworking. To the modern eye, it looked archaic. Redundant. Slow.

But the worlds he imagined on that sketchpad? Magical. Visions that software and inexperienced hands would struggle to replicate in double-speed. Solutions that emerged purely from the alchemy of memory, instinct, and imagination.

This isn’t an anti-tech rant. Let’s be clear, I work because of tech. I’m grateful for it. But when tech becomes the shield we hide behind in lieu of originality, when "innovation" is reduced to tool-chasing while ideas stagnate, we have a problem.

Because technology should enable great work, not replace the thinking that makes work great.

I’ve recently been leading a project that has, by many metrics, worked. Back-to-back approvals from a notoriously tough client. A healthy, profitable budget. And a growing portfolio of diverse work, all stemming from that one engagement.

Executives keep asking: “What’s the secret? How do you do it?”
And I tell them:
It’s very simple. In fact, it’s so simple, it sounds ridiculous.

The secret to a great tomato sauce… is the tomatoes.

That means: trust. With the client. With the internal team. Balancing personalities and egos, delivering consistently, building slowly, showing up again and again with great work - not just shiny decks and frameworks.

Of course, trust alone isn’t everything. But it’s one of the most essential ingredients a project manager/producer can bring to the table. Without it, nothing else sticks.

Trust isn’t just about being liked. It’s about being reliable. It's built in the tiny moments - following through on what you said, showing up prepared, listening carefully, holding your ground when necessary, and giving credit where it’s due.

You need trust with your peers to create an environment where people feel safe to contribute, challenge ideas, challenge you if necessary, and solve problems together without spiraling into ego or silence.

You need trust with your client to move faster, get approvals, push creative thinking, and have honest conversations when things get messy (and they always do).

When trust is in place, a team can move with confidence. Decisions become easier. Deadlines get hit. And you unlock more than just "success" - you build momentum. The kind that grows beyond the project itself.

And yes, that’s when I usually hear:
“Oh—is that it? We’re doing that already.”

Are you? Really?

Because if it were that easy, we’d all be running successful projects. We’d all be unlocking new business lines from a single client. We’d all be building high-trust teams that actually want to work together.

Technology will continue to evolve and we should embrace it. But let’s not forget the real advantage: the people who know how to grow the tomatoes, how to cook them down, how to taste as they go.

Domain knowledge isn’t a relic. It’s the foundation. The main ingredient.

Let’s treat it like one.