Ask for the Unreasonable...and then Get Out of the Way • Andrew Harcourt • YOW! 2018

Ask for seemingly unreasonable goals that align with good engineering practices - make them concrete, measurable and objectively verifiable

Don’t do your people’s jobs for them - empower them to solve problems but hold them accountable for outcomes

When asking for “unreasonable” changes, have teams explain why they can’t do it and what organizational constraints are preventing it

Focus on fixing fundamental issues rather than symptoms - look for root causes of problems and structural failures

Make decision makers accountable for the outcomes of their decisions, not just the decisions themselves

Set clear goals with skin in the game (like bonuses tied to outcomes) to drive real change

Engineering constraints often reveal deeper organizational and strategic capability issues

Good engineering practices look different across organizations - avoid one-size-fits-all solutions

Prioritize fixing critical issues (“dumpster fires”) that threaten business viability

Challenge assumptions about what’s “impossible” by asking “why can’t we do this?” and “what would it take?”

Understand and quantify risks rather than just accepting perceived limitations

Focus on empowering teams to deliver business value rather than following prescriptive processes