Teamwork & Collaboration — Examples

Example 1 — Replace the status line

Your end-of-day update tells everyone what you are doing and nothing they can use. Rewrite it as three lines a colleague can act on.

Still working on the CSV import. Should have it done soon, I think.

Solution

Changed   the import now rejects files over ten thousand rows instead of
          dropping the extra rows silently
Needed    Sam to confirm finance still sends the old export before
          Tuesday
At risk   the import queue migration may not fit this sprint; I will
          confirm on Tuesday

Each line is something a colleague can act on: check a boundary, answer a question, plan for a possible slip. “Still working on it” is a status, and nobody can do anything with it. The usual mistake is reporting effort instead of change, which hides the risk until the sprint review.

Example 2 — Write the opening line

A colleague has missed two hand-off dates on the migration. You have been avoiding the conversation for a week. Write the opening line, the questions, and the one change you want to agree.

Facts     two hand-offs missed; nothing has been said about it
Instinct  wait until after the release, then raise it

Solution

Opening   "I want to talk about the missed dates on the migration. I am
           not looking for a reason; I want to work out what we change
           so it does not happen again."
Ask       what got in the way on your side?
Agree     one change: the hand-off is confirmed in writing the day before
Owner     the colleague; I check in on Friday
Close     "so we will try that for the next one; I will see you Friday"

Writing the first line is the step that stops people having the conversation at all, and it keeps the opening neutral so the other person is not defending themselves within a minute. It ends with one owned action and a date. The usual mistake is rehearsing the complaint instead of the opening, so the meeting becomes a recital of the missed dates.