Build Culture That Moves With Ambiguity
Situation
Committed to teaching the org to start moving with imperfect information rather than over-designing before committing. Will provide cover from Bjorn holding teams accountable for early SWAG estimates, enabling faster iteration and learning.
Reasoning
The current dynamic creates a vicious cycle: engineers over-design before committing because they fear being held to early estimates. This slows learning - you cannot learn alone in a room designing, you need to start moving. Creating psychological safety around early estimates enables a move fast and learn culture. Shielding engineering from premature accountability is one tactic to enable this broader culture shift.
Additional Context
Triggered by Portal estimate situation where Alex 25-hour SWAG was treated as hard commitment by Bjorn. Justin noted team hesitance stems from learned lack of trust from past experiences.
People Involved
Justin Haynes, Bjorn Hovland, Alex
Source
reflection
AI Confidence
85%
Outcome
Partially successful - some traction on culture shift
Recorded on January 12, 2026
Decision ID: 9c348299-78df-42f8-a748-f863d29b5761