Don't make gates optional, make them flexible
6 days ago
- #team-productivity
- #approval-process
- #risk-management
- Make gates required but flexible in formality instead of optional but formal to lower the stakes of misjudging risk.
- Optional formal gates force meta-decisions on individuals, creating risk and slowing down teams.
- A flexible approach, like lightweight approvals for small projects, shifts risk to leadership and enables speed.
- This flexibility prevents bottlenecks and conserves attention for complex decisions, as seen in code review practices.
- Required, lightweight checkpoints help teams move faster and more confidently than ambiguous, risk-averse states.