The Shopping Cart Theory: A Simple Metric for Measuring Engineering & Product Team Efficiency

I recently encountered the shopping cart theory on social media and was immediately drawn to its simplicity and power.?

The shopping cart theory states that the decision to return a shopping cart to its designated spot after use is a litmus test of a person's moral character and capacity for self-governance.

I believe that the shopping cart theory can be extended to engineering and product teams and that it has the potential to be a metric for measuring the efficiency of those teams.

Here's how:

• Returning a shopping cart to its designated spot takes minimal effort but makes a big difference for everyone else. Similarly, teams that follow the shopping cart theory by doing small things like cleaning up after themselves, documenting their work, and helping their colleagues are more likely to create a positive and productive work environment.
• Returning a shopping cart to its designated spot shows you're responsible and considerate. Similarly, teams that follow the shopping cart theory demonstrate that they are reliable, accountable, and committed to the team's success.
• Returning a shopping cart to its designated spot shows that you're willing to do your part to make the world a better place. Similarly, teams that follow the shopping cart theory contribute to the success of the company and the tech industry as a whole.

In short, the shopping cart theory is a simple but effective way to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering and product teams. Teams that follow the shopping cart theory are more likely to be productive, collaborative, and successful in the long run.

Here are some specific examples of how engineering and product teams can apply the shopping cart theory in their work:

• Write clean, well-documented code: This makes it easier for other engineers to understand and maintain the code, which saves time and reduces errors.
• Leave your codebase in a better state than you found it: This means fixing bugs, refactoring code to improve its readability and maintainability, and adding documentation. This makes it easier for everyone on the team to do their jobs and reduces the risk of future problems.
• Be helpful and supportive of your colleagues: This means taking the time to answer questions, review code, and help others debug problems. This creates a more positive and productive work environment and helps everyone to be more efficient.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. For example, there may be times when an engineer is forced to leave their codebase in a less-than-ideal state due to a tight deadline or other unforeseen circumstances. In these cases, it's essential to communicate with the team and explain the situation.

Here are some tips for following the shopping cart theory, even when there are exceptions:

• Communicate with your team: Explain the situation and why you need to leave the codebase in a less-than-ideal state.
• Document your work: Make sure that any changes you make are documented so that other engineers can understand what you've done and why.
• Fix any critical bugs: If there are any critical bugs in your code, fix them before leaving the codebase.
• Return to your code as soon as possible: Once the deadline or other unforeseen circumstances have passed, return to your code and clean it up.

Finally, it's important to remember that the shopping cart theory is not a perfect measure of efficiency and effectiveness. Many other factors contribute to a team's success, such as their code quality, ability to collaborate, and leadership.

Overall, the shopping cart theory is a valuable tool for creating a more efficient and effective engineering and product team. However, it's essential to be aware of the exceptions and to use the theory in conjunction with other factors.