Process and Execution - 2
Process is not a tax on innovation; it is the infrastructure through which strategy becomes reality. This chapter reframes execution as a form of capital allocation, shifting the leader's focus from individual project delivery to the strategic management of a portfolio. By establishing rituals that balance high trust with high accountability, leaders can create an 'Organizational Operating System' that scales without losing its edge.
Think about capacity as a capital allocation problem. How do you move from 'negotiation' to a repeatable 'portfolio' model?
Focus on how to bridge the gap between executive strategy and ground-level execution without falling into 'dependency hell.'
How do you distinguish between decisions that need deep rigor and those that just need movement?
Alignment is a communication architecture problem. How do you link a line of code to a company mission?
Don't treat them as opposing forces. Think about how stability acts as the foundation for sustained velocity.
Avoid vanity metrics like 'lines of code.' Focus on delivery friction, quality, and human sustainability.
How do you manage the trade-offs of the 'Project Triangle' (Scope, Time, Resources) during a crisis?
Does 'Done' end at the PR? How do you ensure full-lifecycle ownership?
How do you decide where to focus your expensive engineering talent?
Engineers love to build tools. How do you redirect that energy toward the product?
How do you move from a blame-culture to a high-reliability culture?
The 'hero' model doesn't scale. How do you design a sustainable rotation?
Think about architectural constraints vs. process constraints. How do you 'shift left' on reliability?
When everything is on fire, how do you manage the team's response?
How do you move beyond manual reviews to scale reliability standards?
How do you minimize the hand-offs that kill velocity?
What signals indicate an engineer who can move the needle on execution?
How do you diagnose and fix a team that has lost its momentum?
How do you avoid the latency and friction of working across time zones?
How does the radius of execution change as engineers level up?
Culture dilutes with volume. How do you maintain the 'bar' when hiring 100+ people?
How do you ensure creativity isn't suffocated by the ticket backlog?
Don't just say 'No.' How do you make the trade-offs visible and logical?
Traditional Agile often fails when outcomes depend on research. How do you adapt?
How do you ensure your internal technical choices reinforce external business goals?
How do you negotiate when the 'impossible' is requested by business leaders?
Execs don't care about the 'how.' How do you translate failure into business risk?
How do you treat the field as a signal source rather than a distraction?
How do you move beyond 'intent' and treat D&I as an execution requirement?
How do you manage morale when delivering a project cancellation or a re-org?
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