Spent time across multiple companies this week.
Different tools. Different team sizes. Different levels of chaos.
Same problem every time: nobody knew who owned what.
This made me laugh out loud because of the number of times I have come across this (and sometimes am the culprit). Loved this piece and echoing everyone on sifting through to simplify it.
I know, right? I can’t pretend I haven’t done this myself. Working realllly hard to always have a date and time even if I don’t feel like I need it ASAP.
I like how simply you articulated what a system is. I think oftentimes we mistaken a complicated tech stack with a good system (I’ve been there myself), so this is a good reminder to keep it simple!
Owner is the one that quietly breaks everything. "Belongs to everyone, belongs to no one" is the most reliable failure mode I see too.
The piece I'd add: visibility starts to bend as teams grow. One shared place is enough for five people. At fifty, you've got people needing five different views of the same work. Same source of truth, different window in for different types of players (including the AI, now). The habit you're describing is what makes that possible. Without it, no tool saves you.
“A task without a due date is just a wish.”
This made me laugh out loud because of the number of times I have come across this (and sometimes am the culprit). Loved this piece and echoing everyone on sifting through to simplify it.
I know, right? I can’t pretend I haven’t done this myself. Working realllly hard to always have a date and time even if I don’t feel like I need it ASAP.
I like how simply you articulated what a system is. I think oftentimes we mistaken a complicated tech stack with a good system (I’ve been there myself), so this is a good reminder to keep it simple!
Thanks @Vivian Wang! It’s the truth
Owner is the one that quietly breaks everything. "Belongs to everyone, belongs to no one" is the most reliable failure mode I see too.
The piece I'd add: visibility starts to bend as teams grow. One shared place is enough for five people. At fifty, you've got people needing five different views of the same work. Same source of truth, different window in for different types of players (including the AI, now). The habit you're describing is what makes that possible. Without it, no tool saves you.