Knowledge Silos
Only specific individuals can work on or review certain parts of the codebase. The team’s capacity is constrained by who knows what.
5 minute read
Tag: Team-Dynamics
Velocity as Individual Metric
Story points or velocity are used to evaluate individual performance. Developers game the metrics instead of delivering value.
6 minute read
Thin-Spread Teams
A small team owns too many products. Everyone context-switches constantly and nobody has enough focus to deliver any single product well.
6 minute read
Missing Product Ownership
The team has no dedicated product owner. Tech leads handle product decisions, coding, and stakeholder management simultaneously.
6 minute read
Deadline-Driven Development
Arbitrary deadlines override quality, scope, and sustainability. Everything is priority one. The team cuts corners to hit dates and accumulates debt that slows future delivery.
7 minute read
Push-Based Work Assignment
Work is assigned to individuals by a manager or lead instead of team members pulling the next highest-priority item.
9 minute read
Pressure to Skip Testing
Management pressures developers to skip or shortcut testing to meet deadlines. The test suite rots sprint by sprint as skipped tests become the norm.
9 minute read
Team Burnout and Unsustainable Pace
The team is exhausted. Every sprint is a crunch sprint. There is no time for learning, improvement, or recovery.
3 minute read
Everything Started, Nothing Finished
The board shows many items in progress but few reaching done. The team is busy but not delivering.
3 minute read
Pull Requests Sit for Days Waiting for Review
Pull requests queue up and wait. Authors have moved on by the time feedback arrives.
3 minute read