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Driving Complex Decisions
Picture this: You’re an up and coming engineer fresh off a big win. In doing so you’ve won the trust of your peers and leaders, and also proven your readiness for bigger challenges.
Step NumberStep NameDescriptionAcceptance CriteriaMaximum Timeframe1Provocation CreationDriver creates an initial proposal to kickstart discussionAt least one viable solution is documented and ready to share. Salient points have been written down for future reference.1-2 days5Stakeholder Brainstorm Follow UpsDriver gets insights from subject matter experts and completes data investigationsAll stakeholders explicitly confirm there are no outstanding follow ups necessary to make the decision2-3 days6Stakeholder Brainstorm DistillationDriver organizes the teams thoughts and ideasAll options and corresponding pros/cons have been written down in a way that is easily consumable at a glance; distillation provided to the approver1 day7Approver Declares IntentApprover provides a preview of the option they plan to chooseApprover informs the team of what decision they plan on making1 day8Approval FillibusterApprover facilitates getting feedback from team members before finalizing the decisionAll team members acknowledge that the approver adequately understands the full implications of their intended decision1 day9Decision MadeApprover makes the final callStakeholders informed verbally; execution effectively unblocked1 day10Cascade BroadlyDriver documents the decision for broad consumptionDecision recorded in conjunction with approver signature; Link to decision shared with front line engineers1-2 daysNotice how it can take upwards of 14 days to get to an approval after the initial provocation even with an idealized set of checkpoints. When you’re entrusted with choices that will shape thousands of hours of work and impact hundreds of lives, you’re not just solving technical problems; you’re stewarding the future direction of your team and organization.
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