EMPOWERED

CHAPTER 58Management

Continuing our series on team objectives, once product teams have their team objectives for the quarter and are pursuing them, active management will still be needed.

Much as the product strategy requires ongoing tracking and managing by the product leaders, the team objectives require ongoing tracking and managing by the product team.

Keep‐the‐Lights‐On Work

Remember that the team objectives are not the only work that a product team is responsible for. We also have the “keep‐the‐lights‐on” work we discussed earlier. We do need to keep an eye on this ongoing work because, if it spikes, the team won't be able to make much progress on their team objectives.

Weekly Tracking

The key is to make sure the product teams are actively managing progress on the team objectives, otherwise it is all too possible that weeks and then months will fly by with little progress.

At a minimum, product teams stay on top of progress by discussing at weekly check‐ins where they are, what is upcoming, and where they might need help. These weekly team objective check‐ins are the key mechanism that teams use to track and manage their own progress.

This check‐in might happen in its own meeting, or it might get included with a standup once a week.

Occasionally, the teams will raise an issue that requires the leaders to coordinate to resolve conflicts or issues.

Staying on Track

In terms of handling issues that arise, there are two key points:

First, the product manager specifically ...