How to use a playbook

Even engineering teams need a playbook, just like a sports league or an elite operations unit. Here’s how having a playbook transforms your team.

Image courtesy Il Giornale della Vella.

Recently, I was interviewed on The CTO Playbook. It was a great pleasure and a tremendous opportunity — and, it got me thinking: why doesn’t every development team use a playbook? I started to wonder, maybe using a playbook isn’t common knowledge. So, here’s my follow-up to my CTO Playbook interview.

Introduction

I was recently asked, “how do you use a playbook?” The question made me realize that some teams might not have one or even know what it is — or, how it transforms software delivery for the better.

Airline pilots have a playbook. They use their playbook every time they fly. They pull out preflight, taxi, takeoff and landing checklists. They have checklists for malfunctions and emergencies, and more. So do SCUBA divers, which totally makes sense — forgetting to check your emergency regulator means you or your dive partner could die. Sports teams have playbooks so they know exactly what to do on the field and what each other’s responsibilities…