Thread by @johncutlefish

Not “rules” by any means...but tendencies

1/10. We underestimate the amount of work we actually have in progress and the impact on flow, quality, value delivered...and overestimate the value of parallelizing work #proddev #kanban #flow

2/10. We underestimate the drag created by dependencies, constraints, hand-offs, reviews, etc. etc. ... and overestimate our ability to navigate them, play Tetris, and thread the needle #proddev #kanban #flow

3/10 We underestimate the impact of “lights on” and “business as usual” type work...and overestimate our ability to tackle these issues without a big hit on flow #proddev #kanban #flow

4/10 We underestimate what the current team can do with support, trust, safety...and letting go of past grievances... and overestimate the value of consultants, “fresh faces”, and process fixes #proddev #kanban #flow

5/10 We underestimate the difficulty of creating lasting shared understanding and the speed with which understanding degrades...and overestimate our ability to “align” with one-off meetings #proddev #kanban #flow

6/10 We underestimate the value of converging late...and overestimate our ability to “sync up” the understanding of small planning groups with “the teams when they start” #proddev #kanban #flow

7/10 We underestimate the positive impact of high quality on future value flow...and overestimate the incremental value of cutting corners and shipping early #proddev #kanban #flow

8/10 We underestimate the value of diverse perspectives, ideas, etc. ... and overestimate efficiency gains by farming out work to individuals (individual backlogs) #proddev #kanban #flow

9/10 We underestimate the non-engineering costs associated with new features...and overestimate the degree to which individual features make/break the product (vs. the overal experience) #proddev #kanban #flow

10/10 We underestimate the potential value in pursuing risky/uncertain opportunities...and overestimate the value of “sure things” #proddev #kanban #flow