What is one change that would help us deliver better work, faster?

What stands out

• 24 of 40 invited people took part (60%). Past projects typically see 30–50%.

Decisions and next steps

• Going ahead: Pick one priority per sprint and say no to everything that is not it. Owner: Jordan Lee, Head of Engineering. Next step: Draft the shared note template and trial it for two weeks. Due 2026-10-18.
• Going ahead: Give every project a named owner and a written definition of done before work starts. Owner: Sam Rivera, Product Manager. Next step: Write the list of low-risk changes and the automatic check, then review with the team. Due 2026-10-25.
• Decide later: Automate the manual test run that currently takes two days before each release. Next step: Revisit after the next planning cycle.

The top 10 ideas

Ranked by how often each idea was chosen in head-to-head comparisons. Ideas need at least 3 comparisons to appear.

1. 1
   Pick one priority per sprint and say no to everything that is not it.

   Chosen 74% of the time in 115 comparisons.
2. 2
   Give every project a named owner and a written definition of done before work starts.

   Chosen 71% of the time in 100 comparisons.
3. 3
   Let any engineer approve small, low-risk changes without waiting for a manager.

   Chosen 68% of the time in 109 comparisons.
4. 4
   Cut the weekly status meeting to 15 minutes and move updates into a shared written note.

   Chosen 62% of the time in 105 comparisons.
5. 5
   Write a one-page release checklist so nothing depends on one person's memory.

   Chosen 60% of the time in 109 comparisons.
6. 6
   Automate the manual test run that currently takes two days before each release.

   Chosen 59% of the time in 110 comparisons.
7. 7
   Run a short demo at the end of each sprint so people see what shipped.

   Chosen 52% of the time in 101 comparisons.
8. 8
   Set aside one afternoon a week with no meetings, for focused work.

   Chosen 47% of the time in 101 comparisons.
9. 9
   Agree which decisions need a meeting and which can be made in writing.

   Chosen 42% of the time in 108 comparisons.
10. 10
    Hold a short retrospective after every release and share what we will change.

    Chosen 39% of the time in 96 comparisons.