Process is the dividing line between dysfunction and excellence

This article expands on topics discussed in my new book,?Grow Up Fast: Lessons from an AI Startup, live on Amazon, Apple Books, and Google Play Books today.

It was a regular morning, until a text from Ken Cohen , one of our first customers at Yembo, hinted at a deeper issue. Here's what unfolded:

• The Issue: A bug in our system caused video processing to crash repeatedly, leaving uploads in limbo.
• Immediate Fix: I quickly resolved the bug, ensuring no data loss and all pending estimates were delivered.
• Underlying Problem: Our QA process wasn't mature enough; we were relying on customers to report bugs.
• The Superhero Syndrome: By fixing issues immediately, I unintentionally deprived engineers of ownership and learning opportunities.
• The Real Challenge: Urgent problems often mask the genuine underlying issues. In this case, it was a lack of ownership and understanding of the overall process.

Process Improvements:

• Introduced pre-acceptance testing for proposed code changes.
• Implemented detailed testing instructions in our engineering ticketing system.
• Established an internal checklist for pre-release testing.
• Configured proactive monitoring and alerting.
• Initiated an incident reporting system for post-issue analysis.

Benefits of the New Process:

• Enhanced code quality metrics.
• Engineers became more autonomous and learned from issues.
• Streamlined and efficient release process.
• Peace of mind with active alerting.

Key Takeaway: It's essential to dig deep and identify the root cause of problems. Open-ended questions can guide this exploration.

The Power of Process: The same team can function either dysfunctionally or exceptionally, and the difference often lies in the process.

Lesson Learned: Process is the dividing line between dysfunction and excellence.