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Team Ops: Guiding Principles

Shared Reality

  • SSoT
  • Publicy by default
  • Collaboration guidelines
  • Low-context communication
  • Shared values
  • Inclusivity
  • Informal communication

Everyone contributes

While everyone can contribute, everyone is not required to contribute.

  • Asynchronous workflows
  • Give agency (by default!)
    • Agency as the antidote to micromanagement
  • Directly responsible individual
    • DRIs should be empowered to escalate to unblock
  • Push decisions to the lowest possible level
  • Well-managed meetings
    • if it can happen async, it should
  • Key review meetings
  • Short toes
    • Speak up
    • Be comfortable with feedback
    • Don't fear conflict

Decision Velocity

  • Bias for action
    • "I will" instead of "should I?"
  • Boring solutions
  • Disagree, commit and disagree
    • git disagree && git commit && git disagree
  • Stable counterparts
  • Collaboration is not consensus
  • Asynchronous Innovation
  • Strong opinions, weakly held
    • Is that an opinion or a decision?

Stable counterparts enhance cross-functional execution without the downsides of a matrix organization.

acting through an agreed-upon structure actually accelerates work rather than stifling it.

Innovation as a linear process

  1. idea
  2. discussion
  3. implementation
  4. execution

Measurement Clarity

  • Iteration
  • Definition of done
  • Prioritize due dates over scope
  • Transparent measurements
  • Measure results, not hours
  • Transparent feedback
  • Cadence