Process

How I work

Five principles I keep coming back to. Not a methodology, just what I've learned actually works.

1. 01

   Start with shared understanding.

   Before a team starts moving, everyone should understand the problem, the desired outcome, the constraints, the stakeholders, and their role in the work.

   Speed without alignment usually creates rework.

2. 02

   Write the decision down.

   If an important decision only exists in a meeting, eventually the organization will have that meeting again.

   Capture what was decided, why, who owns the next step, and what changed as a result.

3. 03

   Bring constraints in early.

   Metadata, accessibility, legal, engineering capacity, platform limitations, and operational requirements aren't surprises to add at the end.

   They're inputs to the solution.

4. 04

   Design the handoffs.

   Complex products move through many teams. A good handoff carries the intent, decisions, dependencies, constraints, unresolved questions, and definition of success along with the work.

   Context should travel.

5. 05

   Make the system repeatable.

   Heroics can get one project over the finish line. Systems help the next ten get there with less friction.

   When something works, capture it, reuse it, and improve it.