Hi there,
Did you ever have to memorize a poem in middle school?
For me, it was O Captain! My Captain!
I only remember the first two lines… 😬
Today we’re talking about a different type of captain.
A captain brought to us by… Netflix?
Are you feeling the crunch of remote, cross-functional collaboration? Drop a question here. Your questions will guide future newsletter topics & deliver recommendations straight to your inbox. 📬
⚡ Supercharge of the Week
Remote Octopus recommends identifying the person on your project team who is responsible for finalizing key decisions or deliverables in order to keep the project moving forward smoothly.
So many project teams get bogged down – and stuck! – in analysis paralysis when making decisions.
“Analysis paralysis in project management refers to a situation where individuals or teams become paralyzed by an overwhelming amount of data and options. They find it challenging to make timely decisions because they are trapped in a never-ending cycle of analysis and evaluation. This can occur at any stage of a project, from the planning phase to execution, and is often rooted in a desire for perfection or fear of making the wrong choice.”
How do you know if your team is experiencing analysis paralysis?
Your calls might constantly go over time. Or every time you make a key decision as a team, you end up backtracking to visit the decision again. Or perhaps your team puts off making key decisions – and it slows down everyone’s ability to move work forward.
This type of never-ending discussion loop can lead to “project delays… increased costs… reduced quality… and team frustration.” 🫠
Let’s keep your project moving forward smoothly.
Let’s end those calls (mostly) on time.
“It is sometimes challenging and always important to agree up front who is the informed captain for a project.”
As a team, identify the person on your project team who is responsible for finalizing key decisions or key deliverables. This might be the project approver or person accountable in a RACI matrix. Sometimes in larger projects, it also might vary based on deliverable or subject matter expertise – such as Juan owning sign off for Design deliverables A, B, and C while Emily owns sign off for Product deliverables D and E.
At Netflix, these are called informed captains.
“On big strategic issues, the captain farms for dissent and other alternatives to ensure they are truly informed. Dissent can be difficult, which is why we make an effort to stimulate discussion. Often, groups will meet to debate topics. But then the captain needs to decide. We don’t wait for consensus or vote by committee, nor do we drive to rapid, uninformed decision making. Small decisions may be shared just by email, while large ones will merit a memo with a discussion of the various positions and why the informed captain made that decision. The bigger the decision, the more extensive the debate. Afterwards, as the impact becomes clearer, we reflect on the decision and see how we could do even better in the future.”
Feeling confused if your team needs this level of clarity?
Pull up your project plan or timeline. Find a key deliverable. Do you know who is responsible for making that decision? If yes, then try again with 2-3 more deliverables to confirm expanded clarity.
If you’re unsure, then your team would likely benefit from a discussion about who owns decision-making responsibilities for either the project as a whole or specific key deliverables. Set up 30-60 minutes to dive into the discussion together.
Ideally, every project will have an informed captain – and everyone on the project team will know the name of their informed captain!
Smooth sailing ahead indeed. ⛵
Source: Giphy.com
👀 ICYMI
🐙 Remote Octopus Resources
Ready to level up operational excellence for your team? Check out our resources:
Give us a shoutout! Got a quick minute? Click here to share a testimonial - or favorite Supercharge of the Week - with us.
