BA 48/52: The Right Type Of Solution
I have had moments where I have felt… stuck. Not sure where my next step is. Frustration with when solutions do not present the results I had expected. Unable to enact change at the level I desired or thought necessary. Frustrating is how I describe this chasm of stuck.
We all have had our stuck moments. Whether it’s a specific technical problem, an engineering management issue, a planning roadblock, at some point, we all get stuck.
As TPMs, one of the many things we do is to help teams get unstuck. Now, being stuck in the context of software engineering takes many shapes and forms:
Decision Making
Planning
Critical Project Roadblock
Lack of strategic or tactical clarity
Given we TPMs operate cross-functionally, often times we seek out big one size fit every team solutions to implement at the macro level (across the organization) - the savior framework. No where is this more tempting than at a startup. The impact individual decisions can have at a startup, particularly early stage, is profound.
Scrum, SAFe, FAST, Kanban, OKRs, so many to name - all savior frameworks meant to address all your organizational ailments in one fell swoop.
The hallmark of a great problem solver, particularly that of the TPM variety, is recognizing whether you need a solution at a macro or micro level. This is true whether the issue is at an org level or team level.
The trick is to know when to create and implement a Savior Framework (macro-level solution) and when to drill in and create individualized solutions (micro-level solution).
A TPM’s job is to identify, recognize and evaluate when it is best to start small versus going big. After all, more often than not, the most efficient, effective and lasting solutions to an engineering organizations problems and stumbling blocks rests in the little details, not the grand gestures.
Sometimes, to get unstuck, it’s best to reset and look at a certain aspect of the problem rather than the whole problem itself.
How do you know which aspect of the problem to tackle first?
Focus on what you can control or falls within your expertise or sphere of impact.
Build momentum bit by bit until you hit terminal velocity.
Document, analyze, assess, iterate.
Part of your growth as a TPM, especially as a leader, will be honing and sharpening this sense of when a macro-level Savior Framework solution is ideal versus when to rely on the micro-level solutions created by the team to achieve success.
Until next time 👋!
-Aadil
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