The importance of effective blocker tracking
Effective visibility and tracking of execution blockers improves productivity and efficiency. Would you not want that your team to be able to see the blockers as they come, and track them effectively?
So far we have talked about what being blocked means and explored some ways to tackle them. In this post we will talk about why it is important to track blockers.
Effective visibility and tracking of execution blockers improves productivity and efficiency.
Would you not want that your team to be able to see the blockers as they come, and track them effectively? The likely answer is a resounding yes!
Blockers should surface in your workflow
Someone or something is blocked? You and your team needs to know this in almost real-time.
It is immensely useful to have a clear listing of the blockers, their priority and impact during the regular standups or meetings. This leads to more effective and timely actions, and the right prioritization.
Raise blockers in meetings vs. Automated tracking
It's your choice at the end of the day! Some prefer to do it the old-fashioned way to talk about blockers only in the standup meetings, and some prefer using fully automated tools.
But what is important is that the tracking and the underlying thought process around tackling blockers needs to be fullyintegrated into the team's workflow. For larger, distributed teams automated tooling often works out to be better.
Simplify it!
Make it easy for yourself and other team members to identify and track blockers. Do not let bulky overweight processes come into the way.
Eliminate unwanted approvals. If someone finds a blocker, reporting and tracking it should be as easy as a few clicks.
Discuss. Discuss. Discuss!
Now here comes the more pertinent company culture aspect: it is important to have the right mindset around handling execution blockers!
Promote an open and transparent discussion around blockers. Make yourself and teams feel comfortable to raise blockers and track blockers.
Constructive discussion around a certain blocker is a very good way to decide upon its priority.
The Bottomline
Effective blocker tracking is the key to productivity, insight and an optimized workflow. Knowing which issues are blocking and impacting your time enables you as a team to prioritize the right things at the right time.