(2021-09-24) Bennett Why You Need A WTF Notebook

Nat Bennett: Why you need a "WTF Notebook". I keep a bullet journal. Every time I join a new team, I go to the next fresh page, and on top of that page I write: "WTF - [Team Name]." Then I make a note every time I run into something that makes me go "wtf," and a task every time I come up with something I want to change.

For two weeks, that's all I do. I just write it down. I don't tell the team.

it helps me to build a reputation as someone who's really effective at getting stuff done, and avoid being someone who's complaining all the time.

There's always stuff that makes me go "wtf" on a new team. The team talks for an hour in retro about a serious problem, and then leaves without making any action items. The tests don't run locally and no one seems to notice. Big chunks of the build board are always red. Only one person can do some critical, time-sensitive thing. The team is spending a bunch of time on some feature, but when I ask around no one can seems to know why it's important or how it'll help a customer.

Once I've got a nice big list, I start crossing things off. There are four reasons at this point that I might cross off something I've put on that list:

• There's actually a good reason for it
• The team is already working on a fix
• The team doesn't care about it
• It's really easy to fix

When I do see an easy fix, though, I'll just go ahead and make it.

After a few weeks, though, I'll still have a bunch of weird, unresolved issues on that list. At this point I'll start talking about it with other people on the team, the team lead, and my manager.

I'll ask why things on the list are that way, and how they got to be that way. I'm trying to establish credibility as someone who's genuinely curious and empathetic, who's patient, and who respects the expertise of my coworkers. That's the reputation that's going to let me make changes later.

On a lot of teams, when I ask some questions about things that turn out to be in the first few questions, the person I ask will just fix them immediately. Or they'll help me figure out how to fix them.

At this point I'm looking for one or two problems that have been bugging one of my new teammates for a while, and that have relatively simple solutions

I'm looking for something I can put on the retro board and know I won't be the only person who's bothered by that problem. Then, during the team conversation about the problem, I'll identify something that teammate suggests as an action item that we could try immediately. That way the team starts to see me as someone who helps them solve their problems.

Pretty soon, I'll start to get in to the really sticky issues. The problems the team knows about but is afraid of dealing with.

At this point I'm going to be talking to my manager. I'm going to bring them that list I've been working on, and I'm going to say something like, "Now that I've been on the team for a few weeks, this is what I'm seeing. We're making progress on some of it, but some of these seem like they're going to take longer. I wanted to get your thoughts before I try to do anything about them

The reaction I'm looking for from my manager, at this point, is something like, "Wow. This is really validating. I've been concerned about these things but the team doesn't seem really bothered by them, so I didn't want to push too hard. I'm glad you're bringing this up."

I've mentioned Seeing Like a State before but I reread it while we were on the road, and, and, man, seriously, if there's one book I wish everyone I talk to had read, it's this one. Nothing explains pp in action better. Nothing has more useful anecdotes for illustrating how large organizations (BigCo) work, and why they work the way they do.