We’re sharing some tips 📌 based on our work with 150+ tech teams.

The steps seem simple but are hard to implement.

1. Get all the ideas: you need a positive team climate to allow everyone to speak up. The loudest voice or the highest paid opinion is not the best. You need to gather as many viewpoints as possible.

📌 Read Amy Edmondson’s book The Fearless Organization.

2. Pick one approach: make a clear distinction between discussion and decision-making, don’t strive for 100% agreement, look for 100% commitment.

📌 Have a clear decision-making process so that everyone is committed.

3. Make it clear: just because you’ve said it, doesn’t mean it’s understood. The most common team dysfunction I’ve seen (lack of commitment) is usually triggered by a lack of understanding.

📌 Ask people to explain the chosen approach in their own words.

4. Try it a few times: most teams choose an approach, fail in the beginning, and change. That’s so ineffective. You need a few iterations to actually get things going. Allow yourself to be consistent.

📌 Agree on a number of iterations (or time-box) you will not change anything.

5. Review what works: set moments when you will review the approach, see what’s working well and keep it, change what’s not working and repeat step 4 until you are happy.

📌 Define how you’ll measure your solution, don’t leave it to gut feeling.