Today’s article is brought to you by the letter B, for “Bureaucracy”. Not only is it hard to spell, it can also be really hard to navigate – especially in larger companies. You might be 90% done with your project before the legal department sees it and says, “We’ll get sued if we do that!”. Or you might need an answer to a pressing question but it has to wait until the steering committee meets a week from Friday. Sometimes it feels like you’re running in quicksand – it saps all your energy and you feel like you can’t make any forward progress.
Bureaucracy is a fact of life in our business. But there are things you can do to work withthe system and keep moving forward. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind, starting from the minute your project kicks off:
Assume that these are good people
You’re a tech lead. Bob work in the legal department. Jane is the VP of marketing. Everyone at the company has a job to do, just like you. Start by assuming that they, like you, are good people and are just doing their job. Bob probably doesn’t like saying “no” any more than you like hearing it. Jane is trying to make the product a success. They may not know everything about your project, but you don’t know everything about their situation either. Always be willing to learn more about how your project fits in with the company’s other priorities.
Departments are formed for a reason
Companies don’t just spin up committees and meetings for fun. They do it because it’s necessary at the time. Maybe things have changed since that recurring meeting was first put on the calendar, but try to learn what caused it to show up in the first place. The more historical context you have, the easier it will be to work with that team.
Identify all the stakeholders – and make friends
The Product Owner is usually the “face” of your project, but it’s a good idea for you to know all the relevant players too. Take some time to learn the landscape. Does Marketing know your product is on the way? Does the Legal team need to sign off on anything? Once you know which teams have a stake in your project, look for opportunities to connect with individual people on those teams. You’re far more likely to get a quick answer from “susan@mycompany.com” than “legal@mycompany.com”. Don’t abuse this connection, of course, but use it when it makes sense.
Communicate early and often
When you start working on a new feature, run through your list of stakeholders and ask, “Who will want to know about this?” Reach out to them (or make sure your Product Owner has done it). Don’t wait until you’re nearing the finish line. They don’t like last-minute changes any more than you do!
Have a backup plan
Sometimes you’re going to run into roadblocks despite your best efforts. Have a backup plan. What else can your team work on? If you build this feature and suddenly find out it won’t work, can you remove it easily? Build in as much flexibility as you can so no one ends up spinning their wheels.
Suggest alternatives
There’s an old story about monkeys in a cage that rings true in a lot of organizations. While the factual origin of the story is questionable, the lesson is valid and plays out every day around the world. It boils down to doing things because “we’ve always done them that way”. Once you’ve taken the time to understand the landscape and history, you’re in a great place to make tactful suggestions about ways to simplify/streamline the process. You may not be able to “fix” it (sometimes it’s like swimming up to an ocean liner and pushing on it to change its course) but you can at least share your perspective and nudge the ship in the right direction.
Bureaucracy can be one of the most difficult aspects of development, but with a clear head and fresh perspective, it’s definitely possible to work with everyone involved and keep your project moving. Can you think of one thing you can do today to make your project run more smoothly?
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Jeff Nordquist is a software developer, leader, coach, and entrepreneur. He loves learning and writing about this stuff! You can reach him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffnordquist), on Twitter (@jeffnordquist), or via email at jeff@jeffnordquist.com.
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