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.
Outcome
Partially successful - some traction on culture shift
Rating: 3/5
Decision ID: 9c348299-78df-42f8-a748-f863d29b5761