Capture, and why it matters
This article follows on from the previous post on making work visible, if you haven't read that yet, you might want to consider having a quick skim through it before continuing here.
In the previous post in this series, we discussed the idea of listing all the work that we might do, then carefully selecting the most important work and devoting our time and attention to that. The concept here is very simple, but executing it well, day after day, can be much trickier that one would expect.
The framework so far is rather simple. Work is only ever added to the parking lot where we gather some initial information, then we regularly select the most important work and do that. The problem is that incoming work is not neat and orderly. It appears in emails, phone calls, meetings and chance conversations. Incoming work is unpredictable, and most of the time will be quite poorly defined.
To address this, we need a process. We need to know exactly what to do with incoming work so that we ensure that we don't miss work that would be important or valuable; and we can field incoming work efficiently, whilst still devoting as much of our time as possible on work already in progress.
The design of this process needs to fit the context in which it is operating. It's important that you develop this with your team, but there are normally two main parts of the process:
Record the work, along with any preliminary information (requester, initial ideas or thoughts, context, etc.).
Review the information recorded, capture any missing information, and add to the parking lot.
Your initial design for this process will likely need to be adjusted slightly over time, but be sure to give it long enough between changes to understand whether a change is needed or whether you just need better implementation.
As you develop your process, you can create separate paths for capturing different types of work - ideas for future product requests need to be separated from support requests and both should to be separated from bugs needing attention from development teams. A form that asks some initial questions about an idea might place responses into a product management system. Support requests can be directed to a dedicated email address or messaging system that helps triage them effectively. Bug reports can be filed using a separate form that gathers more detailed information needed by development teams.
This type of optimisation is important as it reduces friction and making it much more likely that you, and others, will follow it even under pressure.
All of this is standard practice in IT & development, and there are books, courses, certifications, frameworks, that cover it in minute detail, but the concept of having a defined process for capturing work isn't just relevant when thinking about an IT services team or a product management role; it's a core tool of effective leadership.
This capture process, and broader concepts around work management, helps people with different instincts work effectively together. Action oriented people like to pick things up and run with them. They feel good when moving things forward, and slowing down can be quite uncomfortable for them. This is a great impulse when focussed in the right way, but can very easily create chaos and anxiety if it goes unchecked.
Others are naturally more deliberate and methodical, preferring to carefully plan and proceed at a steady pace. Again, this instinct can be very powerful as consistent, deliberate effort over time yields incredible results. However, at the extreme, this instinct can struggle to respond effectively in fast-changing environments, or create over complex processes that tend towards stagnation.
Capturing things and deliberately not immediately acting on them means that we allow time to complete work already in progress, whilst giving those that crave action an outlet for that impulse, and some certainty over when new ideas and work will be reviewed and possibly progressed.
Even at the level of an individual, this process is useful. If you tend towards immediate action then, instead of messaging people as soon as an idea arrives, try creating a list called "catch up" where you record things that you need to action or discuss with others. Then, you can come back to that list later and only act on the most important items. Your colleagues, particularly those that you line manage, will thank you!
If you have a more methodical tendency, then this making this capture process likely plays to your strengths, but sharing the process will help you channel the energy of those around you that prefer to jump first and build the parachute on the way down.
In closing, I'll leave you with this quote from The Phoenix Project that articulates why I feel this topic is important far better than I ever could.
"Like matter and antimatter, in the presence of unplanned work, all planned work ignites with incandescent fury, incinerating everything around it.”