Episode 20 – A common language
/
RSS Feed
A key goal of implementing a defined approach for an organization is to define terms that can be discussed and implemented. In any small organization, individuals may already be using good, effective ways of working. Typically these are the techniques which they have learned in past organizations. Approaches and language tend to be different in different teams.
There will always be a balance between team autonomy and the organisational need for the team to able to communicate easily and effectively. It is critically important to get on top of the terminology used and ensure that there is enough consistency across the organization. .
This podcast is AI-generated based on material from the “Agile Plays” website and book .
Transcript
Welcome to our deep dive today. And we're tackling a topic that's crucial for any organization trying to make a real impact, clear communication. Yeah. We've got a fascinating stack of research and real world examples to dig into, and I can't wait to unpack it all. Did you know that even back in the 1800, giants like the East India Company struggled with the very same communication challenges we face today?
It's fascinating how some challenges seem to transcend time, isn't it? It's almost comforting in a weird way, isn't it? Yeah. And and you're right. Understanding the history of these communication breakdowns can help us avoid making the same mistakes.
But that doesn't mean we're doomed to repeat history. Especially as companies scale at an unprecedented rate, the need for crystal clear communication becomes even more crucial. Absolutely. I mean, think about those classic clashes between business teams dreaming up incredible products and engineering teams grappling with the technical realities. Yeah.
Or how often have you seen projects stumble because customer desires weren't effectively communicated or translated into technical requirements? It happens all the time, unfortunately, and often the root cause can be traced back to outdated management models. You know the classic scientific management approach with its rigid hierarchies and reliance on managers as the sole decision makers. It's like the information assembly line you mentioned earlier. Right?
Exactly. Everything flows in one direction. Yeah. And any deviation causes a major jam. But in today's dynamic fast paced environment, that kind of rigid structure just doesn't work.
It stifles creativity, slows down decision making, and ultimately leads to frustrated teams and missed opportunities. So how do we break free from this communication gridlock? What does the research tell us about building a more collaborative and effective communication framework? Well, one of the most powerful shifts we can make is to move away from that hierarchical control and towards empowering teams, you know, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability at every level. Think about it like a rugby team Yeah.
Where everyone has a specific role to play, but they also work together seamlessly adapting and responding as a unit. That's the rugby approach from Takeuchi and Nonaka's the new new product development game. Okay. Sweet. I love that analogy.
It really captures the essence of teamwork and agility. It's about moving away from management as a top down control mechanism and towards management as a service. Managers in this model become enablers, supporters, and mentors, providing their teams with the resources and guidance they need to thrive. Okay. I'm already seeing how this shift in mindset can lead to a more open and collaborative environment.
Yeah. But let's get real for a moment. We've all experienced those communication breakdowns between different departments, haven't we? Like, you've got the business team speaking, marketing, while the engineers are deep in the world of tech specs. It's like they're just making different languages.
It's a classic challenge, and you're spot on about the language barrier. It's not just about jargon, though. It's about developing a shared understanding of goals, processes, and ways of working, a common language that bridges the gap between technical and nontechnical individuals. Right. And a crucial part of this is aligning expectations around the 2 critical road maps that guide any successful product development effort, the product road map and the technical road map.
Absolutely. The product road map with its focus on customer facing features and value propositions paints the what picture, while the technical road map delving into the underlying systems and architecture provides the how. Okay. So we've got these 2 road maps, each with its own language and perspective. But how do we ensure they're not operating in silos, leading to misaligned goals and frustrated teams?
That's where communication becomes absolutely critical. These two road maps need to be in constant dialogue. Technical decisions should always support the overall product vision, and the product team needs to be aware of any technical limitations or challenges. Otherwise, you end up with either a beautiful product that's impossible to build or a technical marvel that nobody actually wants. I've seen both scenarios play out, and it's not pretty.
It's a balancing act for sure and one that requires open and honest communication, which brings us to another crucial ingredient, psychological safety. Yes. Psychological safety is so important for creating a culture where people feel comfortable taking risks speaking up and sharing their ideas without fear of judgment. You know Google's Project Aristotle Research found that it was a key predictor of high performing teams. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
If you're constantly worried about being criticized or ridiculed for speaking your mind, you're not gonna be your most creative or collaborative self. Exactly. Collaborative self. Exactly. We need to create an environment where people feel safe to experiment, to challenge assumptions, and to learn from their mistakes.
That's where real innovation happens. I couldn't agree more. And, you know, creating that sense of psychological safety starts with leadership. Leaders need to model the behaviors they want to see, encourage open dialogue, and celebrate both successes and failures as opportunities for growth. Okay.
So we've talked about the importance of empowering teams developing a shared language, aligning road maps, and fostering psychological safety. But how do we know if we're actually making progress? How do we measure the effectiveness of our communication efforts? That's a great question and one that often leads organizations down the path of data overload, you know, drowning in spreadsheets and metrics that don't actually tell us much about how we're doing. Right.
We need a way to measure success without creating unnecessary burdens for our teams or getting lost in the data weeds. Exactly. And that's where the concept of engineering scorecards comes in. It's a way to track a few key performance indicators or KPIs that provide a clear and meaningful picture of how well we're communicating and collaborating. So it's like a dashboard for effective teamwork?
Precisely. But the key is to select KPIs that are actually relevant to our goals and easy to measure. Things like cycle time and throughput, for example, can give us insights into how efficiently work is flowing through the system, or metrics like defect escape rate can help us track the quality of our work. And I imagine we also need to keep an eye on the value we're delivering, making sure our efforts are aligned with the overall business objectives. Absolutely.
We wanna track things like the percentage of work dedicated to strategic goals, ensuring that we're not just busy but actually making a real impact. This is all making a lot of sense to me. We're creating a system where communication is clear work. Work is managed effectively, and everyone is aligned around delivering value. Exactly.
And it all starts with that fundamental shift from top down control to empowering teams and fostering a culture of open communication. This has been an incredible start to our deep dive, and I'm so eager to delve deeper into how we can put these principles into practice. Me too. Let's continue this exploration and uncover some specific strategies and tools that you can use to transform communication within your own teams and organizations. Welcome back.
I'm excited to continue our exploration of practical ways to improve communication within organizations. Building upon our discussion about empowering teams, let's look at the importance of establishing clear processes for managing work. Without that shared understanding of how work flows, things can easily get lost in the shuffle. It's like trying to navigate a city without a map. Right?
You might eventually reach your destination, but but it'll take a lot longer and involve a lot more frustration. Exactly. And a well defined process model serves as that map, providing a clear and consistent framework that everyone can follow. So where do we start? Are there specific frameworks or methodologies that can help us establish effective processes?
Absolutely. One framework that often comes up in these conversations is scrum. It's designed to manage and complete complex work through iterative development, close collaboration, and a constant drive for improvement. I've heard of scrum, but to be honest, I'm a little fuzzy on the details. What are some of the key practices that make it so effective?
One of the core principles of scrum is breaking down large projects into smaller, more manageable chunks called sprints. Typically lasting 1 to 4 weeks, these sprints involve the team working together to complete a specific set of tasks from a prioritized list called the backlog. Okay. So instead of trying to tackle everything at once, we're creating a series of focused sprints with clear goals and deadlines. But how do we ensure that everyone is on the same page about what done actually means?
I've heard horror stories about projects going off the rails because of misaligned expectations around completion criteria. You're right. That's a common pitfall, and that's why it's crucial to establish a clear definition of done for each task or work item. This definition should encompass all the necessary elements, including code completion, testing, documentation, and any other relevant criteria. It's like a quality checklist that ensures everyone is working towards the same standard of completion.
So we've got our sprints, our backlog, and our definition of done. What are some other key practices that contribute to a smooth and efficient workflow? One crucial aspect is maintaining a sustainable pace. It's not just about avoiding burnout, although that's certainly important. It's about establishing a rhythm, a predictable cadence that allows teams to focus and deliver value consistently over time.
That makes a lot of sense. It's about creating a sustainable rhythm for the long haul, not just sprinting towards the finish line and then collapsing. Exactly. It's about finding that sweet spot where teams are challenged but not overwhelmed, where they can deliver high quality work without sacrificing their well-being. So how do we put this concept of sustainable pace into practice?
Are there specific tools or techniques that can help us find that balance? One powerful approach is to limit work in progress or WIP. It might seem counterintuitive, but having too many tasks in flight at the same time can actually slow us down. Really? I would have thought that multitasking would make us more efficient.
It's a common misconception, but research has shown that context switching the act of jumping between different tasks can actually kill productivity. When we're constantly shifting gears, we lose focus, make more mistakes, and ultimately take longer to complete tasks. Okay. So by limiting WIP, we can actually increase our focus and efficiency. But how do we decide which tasks to prioritize and which ones to put on hold?
That's where the backlog comes into play again. The product owner, who represents the voice of the customer, works closely with the development team to prioritize tasks based on their value and alignment with the overall product strategy. So the backlog isn't just a to do list. It's a strategic tool that helps us focus our efforts on delivering the most valuable work. Precisely.
And another important technique for managing workflow is to visualize our work using tools like agile boards. So instead of burying ourselves in spreadsheets and reports, we're creating a visual representation of our work that everyone can see and interact with. Exactly. These boards can be incredibly powerful for tracking progress, identifying bottlenecks, and fostering a sense of shared understanding and accountability. I love that idea of transparency.
It's like opening up the hood and letting everyone see how the engine works, which can empower teams to identify and address issues more proactively. Absolutely. And this transparency can also help to align everyone around the bigger picture, the overall flow of value from concept to completion. Speaking of the bigger picture, how do we ensure that all of these individual tasks and sprints are actually contributing to the overall business objectives? How do we connect those dots?
That's where the concept of value streams comes in. A value stream encompasses the end to end set of activities required to deliver value to a customer. It's about understanding the entire flow of work from initial idea to final delivery and identifying any areas where we can optimize or eliminate waste. So it's like mapping out the customer journey and making sure that every step along the way adds value. Exactly.
And a key role in managing value streams is played by the product owner whom we mentioned earlier. They're responsible for defining and prioritizing the features that will deliver the most value to the customer and working closely with the development team to ensure those features are built effectively. So they're acting as a bridge between the business side with its focus on customer value and the technical side with its focus on implementation. You got it. Yeah.
And they play a crucial role in ensuring that communication flows smoothly between those two worlds. This is all starting to come together for me. We're creating a system where work is managed efficiently, quality is built in, and everyone is aligned around delivering value to the customer. But how do we know if this system is actually working? How do we measure success?
That's a crucial question and one we touched upon earlier when we discussed engineering scorecards. Remember, the key is to select a few key performance indicators, KPIs, that provide a meaningful and actionable view of how we're performing. Right. We don't wanna get bogged down in a sea of meaningless data. But how do we choose the right KPIs?
The ones that will actually tell us something useful about our communication and collaboration efforts. Well, one framework we can use is to focus on 3 key areas, flow quality and value. Okay. So flow is about how smoothly work is moving through the system. Quality is about how well we're building things, and value is about how much impact we're having on the customer and the business.
What are some specific examples of KPIs we could use to measure each of these areas? Great question. For flow, we could track things like cycle time, which is the amount of time it takes to complete a task or throughput, which is the number of tasks completed in a given time frame. These metrics can give us insights into any bottlenecks or inefficiencies in our workflow. For quality, we could look at metrics like defect escape rate, which measures how many defects make it into production or code complexity, which can indicate potential areas for improvement in our code base.
And for value, we could track metrics like customer satisfaction revenue generated or the number of new features released that directly address customer needs. Wow. Those are some great examples. But just measuring these things isn't enough. Right?
We need to actually use that data to drive improvement. Absolutely. The real power of these KPIs lies in their ability to spark conversations, identify areas for improvement, and track our progress over time. It's about using data to inform our decisions and continuously evolve our communication and collaboration practices. This has been incredibly insightful, and I'm starting to see how all of these pieces fit together to create a more effective and fulfilling work environment.
I'm glad to hear that. And, you know, this brings us back to that idea of management as a service that we discussed earlier. Right. Managers play a crucial role in fostering this culture of clear communication collaboration and continuous improvement. Exactly.
Let's explore that further and see how managers can empower their teams to achieve their full potential. So we've covered a lot of ground today from empowering teams to visualizing workflows. But I'm really interested in diving deeper into this idea of management as a service and how it can transform the role of managers in fostering clear communication and collaboration. It's a fundamental shift in mindset, isn't it? Moving away from that traditional command and control style of management to a model where managers are seen as enablers, supporters, and mentors.
Exactly. It's like shifting from being the boss to being a coach, guiding and empowering the team to achieve its full potential. Precisely. And one of the most important services that managers can provide in this new model is to create an environment of psychological safety. We've talked about psychological safety before, but I think it's worth reiterating just how crucial it is for fostering open communication and collaboration.
When people feel safe to speak their minds, to share their ideas without fear of judgment or reprisal, that's when the magic really happens. I couldn't agree more. And remember creating the sense of psychological safety doesn't happen overnight. It requires a conscious effort from managers to model the behaviors they wanna see, to actively encourage open dialogue, and to celebrate both successes and failures as opportunities for growth. It's about creating a culture where it's okay to make mistakes, to ask for help Mhmm.
And to challenge the status quo without fear of negative consequences. Yeah. Absolutely. And another crucial service that managers can provide is to help teams clarify their goals and priorities. You know, even with the best intentions, it's easy to get bogged down in the day to day and lose sight of the bigger picture.
It's like that saying, you can't see the forest for the trees. We need those managers to help us zoom out and see the bigger picture, to connect the dots between the individual tasks and the overarching strategic goals. Exactly. And that's where a clear product vision and road map becomes so important. Managers can help teams understand how their work fits into the overall strategy and ensure that everyone is rowing in the same direction.
It's about providing that context Yeah. And making sure everyone understands the why behind the what. Precisely. And managers can also play a key role in facilitating communication between different teams. As organizations grow, it's easy for silos to form and for communication to break down between departments.
You end up with those classic us versus them dynamics where departments are more focused on protecting their own turf than collaborating to achieve shared goals. Exactly. And that's where managers can step in to bridge those gaps, fostering collaboration, encouraging cross functional teamwork, and ensuring that everyone has access to the information they need to succeed. It's about breaking down those barriers, fostering a sense of shared purpose and creating a more interconnected and collaborative organization. It absolutely is.
And, you know, one final thought I'd like to leave you with is that the shift towards management as a service is not just about changing job titles or restructuring org charts. It's about embracing a new way of working, one that empowers teams, values collaboration, and prioritizes clear and open communication. It's a fundamental shift in mindset, one that requires us to rethink our assumptions about leadership teamwork and the nature of work itself. I couldn't have said it better myself. This has been an incredibly insightful deep dive, and I feel like I have a whole new toolkit for fostering clear communication and building a more collaborative and innovative workplace.
I'm so glad to hear that. And remember, even small changes can make a big difference. Start by focusing on 1 or 2 key areas that resonate with you, experiment with different approaches, and see what works best for your team and your organization. Absolutely. To our listeners out there, what are some specific actions you can take to improve communication and collaboration in your own teams or organizations?
What resonated with you most from our conversation today? Remember, even small changes can have a ripple effect leading to greater agility increased productivity, and ultimately, a happier and more successful workplace. Thanks for joining us on the deep dive.
Leave a Reply