As a team lead, I have faced countless well-intentioned teams that lacked performance, which is usually caused by inefficient communication. There are various ways to go about this, and I found that by introducing the Core Protocols, great potential was unlocked in these teams.
On every level of any organization, be it internal or external, one thing always comes back as crucial, and that is communication. It is also one of the most common problems raised in organizations (ref).
Either the message is not well-formed, it is not well-transferred, or it is not well-received.
It could be too bloated, making it hard to find the essence. Or too limited and lacking in context.
The way the message is transferred could be suboptimal, requiring the receiver to process it synchronously. The receiver needs to know how to interpret the message.
What are good communication protocols?
Let’s first start by defining a protocol.
The Britannica Dictionary defines a protocol as a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.
Protocols are needed to be in agreement on communication so it can happen efficiently and that all involved parties know what to expect from each other.
This might sound like something very technical and aimed at software developers, but it is not. In our daily lives, we already have tons of communication protocols, like
- saying somebody’s name before continuing on with the sentence so the receiver knows he/she is the intended recipient
- Intonation to indicate if something is a question
- Using a common language and vocabulary
While many of those protocols exist and have their use, some can be optimized, especially in a professional setting.
Communication protocols inside software teams
In this article, we will focus on communication inside a team. As it is mandatory for all parties to agree on protocols, this is more easily done in a team. The goal of the protocols we are going to elaborate on is having a shared vision, setting expectations, and being efficient
Now, what is needed to achieve a shared vision?
- Checking In, the management of personal presence
- Deciding, practicing unanimous decision-making
- Aligning, disclosing motives, and setting goals
- Envisioning, creating a shared vision
Now let’s dive into some of the most impactful of these protocols, called Core Protocols and introduced by Jim & Michelle McCarthy more than 20y ago.
How to create a shared communication vision
Check-in/out
Checking in and out explicitly informs your team when they can count on each other. This is especially important for remote teams, especially those working in different time zones.
It is as simple as jotting down “Check in” in the team chat or even agreeing on a “Good morning” to indicate this.
More interesting is the check-out, as this does not signify the end of a workday. Someone might need to get some air to cool down after a heated discussion or run an errand. The rest of the team then knows that whoever checked out is not there for them.
If you co-located with team members, checking out requires you to leave the group physically.
When you return, you check in again.
Ask for help
The goal of this protocol is to use your team's knowledge. Actively promote team members' asking for help when they are stuck with something. This might sound like an obvious protocol, but many teams, especially new ones, struggle with it, and team members are often afraid to interrupt others. By making this explicit, you remove a hurdle.
Ask “[Helper’s name], will you XYZ?”
Think upfront about making your question as clear as possible. You are using someone’s time, so you better make it efficient. Understand that the helper can answer yes or no or give you an alternative like “I can help you in an hour.”
Assume the helper's best intent. If you are given a no, accept it without questioning it.
Think about it: if you get a no, it’s a status quo, and you do not lose anything. You can also never over-ask for help unless the helper has given you a clear boundary. Never apologize for asking for help!
Decider
Teams can often discuss extensively before making decisions, even if they have the same solution in mind. In bigger groups, most participants will share their opinions even if they align perfectly with what someone said just before them, resulting only in repeating the same information. Discussions may go in circles while team members feel a decision has already been made or everyone is already aligned.
In comes the decider protocol to speed this up.
Anyone from the group can invoke this and say, “I propose [concise, actionable behavior],” followed by a moment of silence to let the team members gather their thoughts. The proposer then says, “1-2-3.” The voters simultaneously vote Yes (thumbs up), No (thumbs down), or Support it (flat hand). The latter is done when a voter does not actively support the proposal and does not have an alternative proposal.
Voters who absolutely cannot get in on the proposal declare themselves by saying, “I am an absolute no. I won’t get in.” In that case, the proposer can either ask: “What will it take to get you in?” or choose to move the decision forward in a separate discussion.
Pass
Sometimes, for the company's good, your time is not spent on a scheduled meeting, discussion, or activity. For this, we have the Pass protocol, which gives you a way to decline participation in something simply by saying, “I pass.”
The team will not ask for clarifications or judge you; it trusts that the decision to pass is in the company's best interest. You will use this simple yet powerful protocol more than you think.
A good example of this is a planned internal meeting in which a team member decides to pass because finishing a bug fix is more important in the company’s best interest.
Perfection game
The final protocol I will go into is the Perfection Game, which helps you get actionable and weighted feedback.
When you ask someone to apply the perfection game, the simplest version is that they (asynchronously) give you a score of 10 and add what is needed to make it a 10. That last part is crucial as it helps you weigh the feedback. If given a 9, with an actionable piece of feedback to make it a 10, you know that this will have less impact than if you had been given a 5 with the same feedback.
If you are unable to provide actionable feedback, you must score 10. Scoring less without providing feedback leaves the other party clueless about what to improve.
It is great for, e.g., getting feedback on a presentation or talk given to coworkers. Ask them to do a Perfection Game. They might give it a 6/10, with the only improvement point being adding more examples to make it a 10/10. This will clarify that adding examples will greatly improve the presentation and is worth spending time on. If it had been rated 9/10 with the same improvement point, the effort to make it 10/10 might not be worth it.
Conclusion
Implementing a few simple but powerful protocols can drastically improve a team's output and happiness by improving communication efficiency.
The protocols explained are ones I use regularly and have been proven very useful in my professional career. Try applying these and see what works for your team. You will be surprised by their effectiveness.
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