Managers: Impediment List

This is for the managers. If you are not a manager, give this to a manager.

Managers: Let's agree, you have lots of problems. And the best thing to do right now is to fix your most important problem (or take your most useful opportunity!).

My guess for many of you: You need your Teams to be more productive. That's the top or near the top.

(I won't justify that guess. Except to say that if that statement is not true for you, you might skip the rest.)

Ok, I will say this. I think your Teams have enormous potential, and they can really "turn things around". And you are "missing" that enormous potential that they could give you. And your company. And your customers.

And that it is hard to realize that potential. Lots of problems. Lots of people de-motivated, etc.

Ok, what does an Impediment List have to do with it?

An Impediment List is a short list of "improvements" the Team wants to do for itself. Maybe 20 things. Prioritized. And the Team prioritizes it.

What's that quote? "If you want to change the world, start by making your bed." Adm. McRaven. Do you see the connection? The improvements are small, step-by-step things. But eventually, as a group, they will make a big difference.

And, as Toyota says, you want to get everyone into the process of always making these small steps. Little by little.

The ask (as some put it): Ask each Team to create a list of the Top 20 Impediments it has. And prioritize them.

Tell each Team these things:

1. The ScrumMaster is there to help you get those darn things done, fixed. If the SM has the skill set. Or to find a person(s) who can do it. And that might be the Team itself. Or someone outside the Team.
2. I [the manager] agree that everything is worth considering. Nothing is "off the table". (Not guaranteeing to support everything, but am agreeing to consider anything. Respectfully.)
3. I will say "yes" to helping fix some impediments. (A majority of impediments can be fixed without asking me.) Yes to people, or money or approval. Or all three. By the way, I authorized having a full-time ScrumMaster for your Team also.
4. We (mainly the SM) agree to ALWAYS be working on the top impediment. And almost never working on any other impediments (yet). One thing at a time.
5. And, I want you, the Team, to get work done, despite all the other impediments. To commit, and focus, and get that work done. With relatively little wasteful complaining.

Ask: "Is that a fair deal?"

The impediments need to be small-ish. Things that are missing (good things) or things that should be taken away (bad things), or mitigated. But making that happen should be fairly fast. Within 2 weeks for each one, usually. And, once the action is completed, we expect to start seeing benefits usually (eg, higher velocity with no extra hours, no more stress, indeed with more FUN).

We want the best impediments. Maybe after 8 or 10 impediments fixed, we can see a doubling of the Velocity. So, you see, we want to fix the right impediments. Everything is on the table. You tell us what we need to fix. To make your work better.

Ask: "Is that a fair deal?"

Note: For you managers: this is high ROI. And they help make your manager-time much more productive. A great deal for you too.

There is more to this idea. But you have a good start here. What more do you need?

Oh. I am guessing that a lot of your teams did not have an Impediment List when you started reading this. Correct? And maybe some were not using it well.