Periagoge
Scenario

When teams avoid uncertainty by making false commitments

Our engineering team has gotten really good at estimating work when it's familiar but when we hit something novel everyone just says 'two weeks' because no one wants to look stupid by asking questions or admitting they don't know something. We're shipping late constantly and in our retrospectives everyone talks about 'external blockers' instead of the fact that we're all just guessing and hoping.

More people experience this than they realize.

What we've seen

The team has developed a shared fiction about predictability to avoid the discomfort of admitting ignorance together.

Your guide for this
Aurelius
Aurelius works with people navigating exactly this kind of situation.
Ideas that help explain it
Worth thinking about

“Where Are You with Consumer — Restaurant & Food Service?”

Peri

Peri can explain why this happens, help you decide if this is the right situation for you, and point toward the right journey or coach.

If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.