How to beat decision latency with Decision OS

No one forgets the feature. But everyone forgets the friction. Non-functional requirements (NFRs) are rarely written down — until the page is slow, users bounce, or legal calls. Here’s a quick checklist of NFR prompts I use in backlog grooming 👇 ✅ 5 categories 🧠 2 questions each 📋 Save this for your next sprint planning or DoD discussion.

Defects happen. But it’s the way you track and manage them that separates chaotic teams from high-performing ones. Whether you're refining your bug reporting workflow or looking for tools to help you scale, we’ve pulled together a guide that covers: ✅ The fundamentals of effective defect tracking 🧰 Key tools to streamline the process 📌 Best practices to keep quality at the center of your dev cycle Get the full breakdown here: https://lnkd.in/gpQ-t939

Recently I was chatting with someone who had a downtime on production due to, guess what! "a feature flag toggle". Short story below. The feature flag was always in off state. Product team toggled the flag to make the feature live after 4 months. This resulted in an incident and nobody could figure out why/how for more than 30 mins. Lot of teams use feature flags as convenience to the reduce deployment risk. But this doesn't really _reduce_ the risk. The risk just moves from "deploy time" to "runtime". Now, instead of "will this deployment break?" you end up asking "which combination of 15 feature flags will break?". One advice I have is: Don't keep feature flags for months and months. Prune them and reduce the cyclomatic complexity in the codebase. Without regular care, feature flags pile up and the code becomes unmanageable. Feature flags are great for gradual rollouts. They're technical debt when they become permanent configuration. Every flag you add is a code path you need to test and maintain.

I was with a client yesterday for a sprint planning session. Here are the tips I shared: * Start with a simple Sprint Goal. * Capacity first, scope second — include a 10–20% buffer for interrupts. * Do a short pre-planning (PO/BA + one senior dev) so sprint planning isn’t discovery. * If new work appears mid-sprint, trade something out (net-neutral), or it waits. Definition of Ready (DoR): * Clear user value + acceptance criteria * Dependencies known (designs/APIs/data) * Small enough & estimated * Test approach noted Definition of Done (DoD): * Code + tests merged & reviewed * Deployed to the agreed env * AC met with evidence * Demoable (and noted in release/change log) Curious: what’s the one DoR or DoD rule you refuse to compromise on?

One good question can change a sprint. A client once asked their team in planning: “What’s the riskiest assumption we’re making this sprint?” That one question uncovered a missing error path in a critical feature, something no test case had touched. They fixed it before the bug ever existed. No drama. No rework. Just better outcomes. In QED, we treat good questions like test tools, because sometimes, they’re the fastest way to find what matters.

Ever inherited a mid-flight project with no manual? (If you said yes, we are now friends). Here’s the takeover playbook I use to turn “uh-oh” into a plan: 0) Prime Directive No blame, no lore—just facts and forward motion. 1) 48-Hour Triage Pull PO/contract/SOW, change orders, risk log, schedule, budget. Read the last 90 days (even Joe’s cryptic emails). Confirm stakeholders + comms prefs and decision rights. Quick reality check: SPI/CPI/BAC/EAC/ETC (are we on time/on budget?) Commercial check: invoices sent? unpaid AR? unapproved work? 2) 7-Day Stabilize Freeze scope; stop non-critical work. Daily 15-min standup: blockers → owners → due dates. Map critical path + top-10 blockers. Develop (or confirm) a decision-rights matrix (RACI-ish). 1:1s with sponsor, customer POC, leads, key vendors. 3) Baseline Reset (week 2) Bottom-up ETC; re-sequence to real constraints & funding. Set new targets (e.g., SPI ≥ 0.95, CPI ≥ 0.98). Rebuild risk register + reserves; tighten change control. Publish Re-Baseline + Stakeholder Alignment Memo (what/why/new dates/cost/risks/comms). Get sign-off. 4) 30/60/90 Recovery 30: kill low-value work, surge the critical path, clear 70% blockers. 60: hit first milestone under the new baseline; SPI/CPI trending up. 90: steady cadence—weekly EVM dashboard, stage-gates, approved changes only. 5) Communicate, communicate, communicate Day 1: State of the Union (what I inherited + when to expect the plan). Days 2–5: targeted 1:1s to align expectations. Day 5–7: reset briefing (15 slides max). Weekly: 1-page traffic light + owners/dates; exec summary for leaders, detail for doers. Pro tip: Add quality/HSE gates and acceptance criteria to every milestone. Saves rework and arguments. Want my takeover checklist + comms cadence matrix + re-baseline memo template? Comment RESET and I’ll share.

Speed without chaos needs constraints. Here is the framework that works. One owner manages decisions and tradeoffs. One sprint keeps work inside a thin slice. One metric directs effort and debate. Scope creep gets parked, not shipped. Timeboxes prevent endless debates. The cadence is simple and strict. Auth and foundation land by Day 3. Core flow reaches staging by Day 7. Payments and analytics follow by Day 10. Hardening happens through Day 12. Docs and deploy finish on Day 13. Day 14 is demo and transfer.

Smart setup = smooth delivery Total Synergy helps you kick off projects with less admin and more control. Read the full article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gSw8_gKG 👀 p.s. scroll to the last slide for an exciting sneak peek!

🎯 What is a BRD (Business Requirement Document)? A BRD is a formal document that outlines: ⚡ Why a project/product is needed ⚡ What the business goals are ⚡ How success will be measured It helps align stakeholders, business teams, and tech teams before development begins. 📝 Key Sections of a BRD: 1. Executive Summary 2. Business Objectives 3. Background & Challenges 4. Scope (In / Out of scope) 5. Stakeholders 6. Business Requirements 7. Use Cases / Process Flows 8. Assumptions & Constraints 9. Success Metrics 10. Appendices 💡 Pro Tip: A BRD defines the “Why & What”, while a PRD defines the “What & How.” Together, they ensure clarity and execution success.

🚀 Do you know which tasks actually decide your project’s finish date? That’s where Critical Path Method (CPM) comes in. It identifies: The longest sequence of dependent tasks. Activities that cannot be delayed without delaying the project. Float/slack time for non-critical tasks. Knowing your critical path means you can prioritize resources smartly and prevent deadline surprises. 💬 How do you track your project’s critical path—tools, software, or manually? 👉 Comment below with your approach!