Report

Autopsy #002 — Busy teams, nothing finished

Published: October 28, 2024
Symptom
High activity, low completion.
Context
  • Team size: 11
  • Stage: Series A
  • Stack: React, GraphQL, Kubernetes
  • Domain: Internal tooling
What they thought the problem was
Lack of process.
What the autopsy found
  • Too many parallel initiatives
  • No shared definition of "done"
  • Progress measured by motion, not outcomes
Early warning signs they missed
  • Work rarely crossed the finish line
  • Everyone was busy, no one could point to impact
  • "Almost done" became permanent
Outcome
Autopsy proceeded.