131: Managing Technical Debt in Agile Teams

Technical debt and coaching teams through directed mentorship

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Unrelated: Empower with Questions and Autonomy

To uncover ideas from others, refrain from imposing your thoughts and focus on the person's existing beliefs. Significant progress is made when you elicit three to five answers. When probing for the core issue, ask, "What's the real challenge here?" If the initial response is timid or vague, continue digging by asking, "And what else is a challenge here for you?" The power of "And what else?" lies in its ability to stimulate options while keeping you silent. Avoid offering advice disguised as questions. Concentrate on the underlying problem rather than the first problem. Coaching should be tailored to the individual, asking, "What's the real challenge here for you?" or "What's the real challenge here for you?".

The pattern we're breaking is fixating on the wrong problem. The trigger occurs whenever you start focusing on a particular challenge. Engaging in purposeless work diminishes motivation and engagement. Performance coaching addresses specific issues, whether extinguishing or fueling the fire. Development coaching shifts the focus from the matter to the person dealing it.

Taking responsibility for your freedom is simple. The brain questions, "Are you with me or against me?" and assesses its understanding of the future. Clarity creates a sense of safety. Power dynamics depend on the situation rather than formal titles. Autonomy is crucial; it determines the environment's reward and engagement potential. Perceived lack of choice diminishes safety.

Frame questions starting with "What" and avoid using "Why" questions. Six of the Seven Essential Questions are "What" questions. Reframe inquiries to begin with "What" to foster understanding. Instead of asking, "Why did you do that?" ask, "What were you hoping for here?" Rather than "Why did you think this was a good idea?" ask, "What made you choose this course of action?" Replace "Why are you bothering with this?" with "What's important for you here?".

The question "What do you want?" impacts rank and autonomy. Use the miracle question to encourage envisioning improvement: "Suppose a miracle happens overnight. How will you know things have improved tomorrow morning?"

Gain a deeper understanding of commitments before accepting them. Avoid the habit of jumping into action mode and offering solutions. Instead, listen after asking a question. Remember that you have many response options regardless of the answer received. The secret to saying "No" lies in shifting focus and learning to say "Yes" more.

Ask clarifying questions: "Why are you asking me? Whom else have you asked? What do you mean by urgent? According to what standard must this be completed? By when?" If you can't do everything but can do a part, inquire about the specific position. Focus on and make room by removing other tasks. Define the winning aspiration, setting the stage for excellence. Instead of providing answers, engage others by asking questions to stimulate self-generated solutions. Embrace curiosity over the excessive direction.

[^]: The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

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Off Topic: Embracing Agile Change 

To avoid the pitfalls of organizational debt, we need constant and vigilant simplification. We must create agile roles, rules, and processes—built to learn and change. Org debt creates bureaucracy, and bureaucracy protects org debt. It's a tragic love affair. Corporations want share prices to move only up and to the right. They need to move the needle now, which means revenue or earnings growth (both). The antidote to the diminishing returns of the status quo is to think. Considering the modern world of work, the assumptions of Theory X still feel present. Our job description tells us what to do. Our manager tells us how to do it. Our office hours tell us when to come to work. Our meeting invites tell us which conversations we can take part in. Our performance review tells us how to learn and grow.

To be People Positive is to assume and expect the best of everyone. Increase autonomy, and motivation thrives. Decrease it, and motivation erodes. Treat them like all-stars, and they will become all-stars. We want speed and innovation, but we run from risk and inhibit our best people. We claim to work in teams but don't trust one another. People can be trusted and will trust one another to use judgment and do the right thing. We know how we work isn't working, but we can't imagine an alternative. We long for change but need to figure out how to get it. We are addicted, despite ourselves, to the siren song of bureaucracy. We face an array of systemic challenges—in our economy, government, and environment—stemming from our inability to change. 

Create an environment where it is safe to try and fail, and teams will learn and grow in extraordinary ways. Accept that we operate in a changing world where centralized control is too slow and disconnected from reality. Push authority to the edge of the organization—where the information is—so teams can adapt and steer. Structural mediocrity has an inertia all its own. The team is self-managed. Besides, SLAM teams are lean—small enough to move. But they are also multidisciplinary, containing all (or most) of the skills they need to achieve their mission. Dynamic Teaming. Find a part of your business where teams change and turn it into an active two-way marketplace. There's a lack of clarity about bandwidth because everyone is maxed out. As a result, there's an instinct to operate at a much slower cadence than we prefer. They think in big chunks of polished work, in small pieces of raw output. They feel in months, weeks, or days. They coordinate through email, calendars, and assistants. We coordinate through messaging apps, cloud-based documents, and an established operating rhythm. Sometimes we try it their way, but more often than not, we offer them the chance to try something new. And wouldn't you know it? Most people experience relief and a sense of momentum.

How do we divide the work of the organization? What is the relationship between our workflow and our structure? How do we handle projects that are too big for one team? What is our approach to project management? Who is accountable for project outcomes? How do we maintain visibility across all our projects? How are projects initiated, canceled, or completed? What is the role of rhythm and tempo in our workflow? How do we optimize our workflow to cut waste and maximize value creation?

[^]: Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?

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