From "The Growth Imperative: Reimagining the Future of Work"
The churn of uncertainty and ambiguity in any workplace today is dizzying, unpredictable and impossibly managed by any one person.
In nimble teams, we manage the constant of uncertainty and the opportunity of ambiguity by staying in sync. Being in sync is alignment in timing, made possible by freedom in communication and coordination. Sync creates connection. It makes new levels of clarity in our work more possible.
On the communication side of the equation, everyone shares in real time what they know and need, what they're starting and working on, what's changing for them and what they're delivering. People who need any kind of clarification ask for it when they need it.
Coordination sustains alignment among multiple people working on a single deliverable. When things are well coordinated we work from agile and shared understanding of what doneness is for each deliverable, who's working on which parts and how dots need to be connected.
Sync is a challenge in slow teams because the need to work by permission keeps everyone's focus self- centered. Lack of sync in slow cultures is further exacerbated by the slow practices of emails and meetings.
When we're in sync, no balls get dropped. Nothing waits for something else. No one depending on a deliverable wonders about its status or the shared definition of doneness. Handoffs are smooth and optimally timed for momentum toward on time delivery.
Everyone is always on the same agile page, anticipating and responding to any changes that occur along the way.
Teams grow in their capacity for being in sync by growing in the use and mastery of virtual tools, mutual agreements and real time communication and coordination practices.