<aside> đź’ˇ These are the Product Team standards that are copied/pasted from our internal Confluence. As a result, many links are to internal Confluence pages and thus not publicly available. These standards are a reflection of how we work and what we value.
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Maintaining a high-quality bar and moving fast are not mutually exclusive. At Clipboard Health, we do not make excuses indicating otherwise.
In a post on his Linkedin that has since been archived, Frank Slootman put it this way:
When stepping up the pace, inevitably excuses are made about quality. We can’t possibly move this fast, and maintain quality? We would agree because we are going to move faster and raise quality. It has a compound effect on productivity. It’s not defying gravity, it’s beating reams of slack out of the system. Until the pressure is on, we don’t even know how much better and faster we can be.
Beyond the “Curiosity, Initiative and Ownership” standard derived from our Company Values, an expectation to move fast while maintaining a high-quality bar is our most fundamental standard and what we expect from members of this team.
Below, we unbundle “high quality” and “speed” to create a series of standards and operating principles.
An Aside on Speed
We talk about “speed” a lot here. The first explanation as to why that comes to mind is “we’re a startup, speed is all we have, it’s existential.” That’s true, but in our context speed is even more significant. For us, this cultural focus on speed will reinforce our advantage against competitors. As we’ve discussed before, every shift request is a race against other vendors. That’s why we will continue to push on faster enrollment, faster booking, faster pay, and - most importantly - moving faster internally.
Be An Owner
Being owners means that we internalize that the buck stops with each of us -- nobody should have to chase us because we have a SMART plan, broadcast it, and adjust it (and broadcast it again). We each own the full scope of the success of what we’re working on. We prioritize the customer and the company, and we never say “that’s not my/our job”.
We Write A Lot
We recognize that writing is thinking and good writing scales well. The need to write is already an emphasized feature of remote companies, something that is infinitely more important in a company that needs to communicate across continents. We double down on writing, going even further because it forces us to think harder and think more clearly (see here for how we wield the Working Backwards Document). We also read a lot of our colleagues’ work carefully and comprehensively so we can leave inline and broad comments that help our teammates push further faster.
Communicate Proactively and Clearly
We default to clear written communication. When we work on our plans, we quickly identify what communications are required to make sure we effectively educate internal and external stakeholders. Our writing standards demand we be clear and concise. Our specs are purposefully easy to follow and we consistently work with our engineering partners to ensure they’re both coherent and complete.
Do the Reading
To support the above, we need to do the necessary reading and hold others to that standard. That doesn’t mean we’re expected to read every WBD that the team produces, but if we’re attending a table read or if a teammate asks for our help, then we are expected to closely read in a way that enables us to provide real, usable feedback and help.
Whether we’re investigating how a given Product process works or how another team within the company is structured, we’re expected to do the reading.
Be Intellectually Honest