Provide opportunities for team members to communicate in real-time on a daily basis.

Prioritize and resolve impediments as soon as possible, inside and outside your team.

• ​CAUTION: Any time you are blocked and can’t finish a task, try to resolve the block as soon as possible. According to studies, switching to another task mentally can introduce as much as a 20% productivity loss.

• TIP: Any time you have to stop work to get something from someone else, that is considered a “blocker”, even if you are able to get it resolved.

• TIP: If you use a Kanban Board, create a special column just for impediments.

Also provide space for team members to work uninterrupted for multiple hours daily.

If there is a question or problem, face-to-face communication is best. 

• Virtual face-to-face communication (cameras ON) is second-best

• Phone/audio conversations are a distant third

• Real-time chat messaging is the next effective

• Asynchronous email or asynchronous chat is the least-effective and most time-consuming

Only use email and discussion boards to post summary information that people can review at their own pace, not time-sensitive questions or information. 

• TIP: If you have trouble scheduling communication time, schedule a recurring Working Session and commit as a team to never schedule anything else during that time - once, twice, three times or more, whatever frequency gets the job done. Create an agenda before the meeting. If you are not needed for any agenda items, don’t go. If there is nothing to discuss, just cancel that one session.

When someone claims a piece of work, and especially if it is changing owners, make sure to record ownership in a centralized location.

• CAUTION: Unclaimed blockers are often forgotten and become a major source of slowness. ​