The hottest Processes Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

TBM 409: Minimally Viable Consistency (Part 2)

The Beautiful Mess • 555 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
💼 Business Processes
  1. Keep consistency minimal and practical. Choose a few shared concepts, rituals, or templates that actually help people do their work, not broad vague pillars.
  2. Expect variation and avoid dogma. Ideas spread unpredictably, so let teams adapt frameworks to their context instead of forcing uniform implementations.
  3. Use consistency as a scaffold with an expiration. Introduce temporary rules to stabilize change but set a reassessment date, and prefer nudges like defaults, templates, and visibility over heavy mandates.

Future Scrum Resistance

Rethinking Software • 99 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. When Scrum is imposed from above and developers have no say, the clearest option is to leave — for example by freelancing or starting your own business.
  2. Engineers can push back inside the company using tactics like shadow projects, skipping rituals, malicious compliance, or forming unions, but each approach has risks and needs careful judgment.
  3. Talking about the harms, documenting problems, and spreading awareness can build pressure for change, and collective evidence makes it more likely entrenched practices will be challenged.

Hero Culture means your systems are broken

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 19 May 24
💼 Business Processes
  1. Hero culture shows that a company's systems aren't working right. If you need someone to save the day, there's likely a problem with the organization's processes.
  2. Celebrating heroes can be nice, but it distracts from fixing the real issues. It's better to thank them and work together to prevent future emergencies.
  3. Good systems include clear documentation and solid processes. These tools help avoid relying on individuals to step in and fix issues all the time.

People Over Process

Rethinking Software • 299 implied HN points • 01 Aug 25
💼 Business Processes
  1. Focus on the individual members of your team, not just their roles or tasks. Remember each person's strengths and needs.
  2. Before adding processes or policies, consider what your team truly needs to succeed. Tailor your approach to support them personally.
  3. Regularly strip away distractions and revisit what matters most: the people on your team and their shared purpose.

One Hand On The Yoke

Software Design: Tidy First? • 950 implied HN points • 20 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. Flying an airplane usually works better with one hand on the yoke instead of two. This way, it's easier to keep a smooth flight and not overcorrect.
  2. When you let go a bit and trust a self-organizing team, you can achieve better results, just like flying with less tension.
  3. Sometimes trying to control things too tightly can make them worse, like struggling with a suitcase that wobbles. Often, a lighter touch or changing the tool helps.
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Minimum Viable Process

Lessons • 353 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. Process is necessary as a company grows, but be cautious of adding too much without solving specific problems.
  2. Minimum Viable Process means starting from first principles and solving real pain with iterative changes.
  3. Good process can often mean removing things that are no longer effective or necessary.

TBM 323: Quick Tool Tips

The Beautiful Mess • 542 implied HN points • 21 Nov 24
💼 Business Processes
  1. Make tools fit your needs by trying them out and getting feedback. This way, you can avoid forcing your team into a system that doesn't help anyone.
  2. Involve all kinds of team members in decisions about tools. If you only ask certain roles, you might miss out on important ideas and needs from others.
  3. Start simple before automating. Test simple methods first to see what works, then build on those ideas rather than jumping straight into complicated solutions.

TBM 205: "Process" vs. Systems & Habits

The Beautiful Mess • 1613 implied HN points • 12 Mar 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. Team A focuses on rushed, performative annual processes, while Team B prioritizes continuous improvement and thoughtful feedback.
  2. Team A's lack of customer-centricity and reactive approach leads to institutionalized mediocrity, while Team B's positive habits and systems drive effectiveness.
  3. Breaking the loop of reactive processes and establishing human-centric systems and valuable habits is crucial for better ways of working in organizations.

Bill vs. Ted

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 03 Apr 24
💼 Business Processes
  1. In promotion processes, advocacy, arbitrariness, and detachment can influence outcomes, sometimes leading to the wrong candidate being chosen.
  2. The complexity and overbuilt nature of promotion processes can obscure the best candidate, favoring manipulation over merit.
  3. Balancing objectivity and fairness in promotions is crucial, as promoting the right people leads to positive organizational outcomes.

The loneliness of the long distance runbook

Wednesday Wisdom • 56 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. Runbooks are often not followed closely because experienced engineers adapt them to their own knowledge and context. This can be good, but it also means runbooks might not be used as intended.
  2. When runbooks have errors or are not up to date, they can cause big problems. It's crucial to review and update runbooks regularly to keep them relevant and accurate.
  3. Don't expect runbooks to be perfect or solve all issues. They should be seen as guidelines rather than strict instructions, and everyone should have an understanding of the system behind them.

Nobody Should Write ETL

Data People Etc. • 231 implied HN points • 23 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. Consider shifting away from manual ETL processes towards automated solutions.
  2. End-to-end ownership can lead to duplication and inefficiency in data workflows.
  3. Asset-aware orchestration can offer a more efficient and automated approach to managing data pipelines.

Guide #14: How to templatize a service business

Tiny Empires • 49 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. In a service business, you can earn more per hour but your income is directly tied to your time.
  2. To untie time from revenue, focus on templatizing your business by niching down and standardizing processes.
  3. Specializing your services allows for reusing resources and processes, leading to more efficiency in delivering results.

Airbnb’s Algorithmic Odyssey: Balancing Automation, Pricing, and User Trust

Gad’s Newsletter • 35 implied HN points • 23 Oct 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. Airbnb's core pillars for a great service include affordable prices, reliability, and customer support during issues.
  2. Airbnb faces challenges with customer support, especially with cancellations and non-existent listings, impacting trustworthiness.
  3. Achieving 'product and process market fit' is crucial for companies like Airbnb to align product value with operational processes to meet market demands.

maybe buy more waffle irons

visa's voltaic verses ⚡️ • 28 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. Consider evaluating and adjusting your processes for better efficiency and success.
  2. Identify and focus on what products or services are driving revenue and customer interest.
  3. Regularly reviewing and optimizing your methods can lead to better outcomes and personal growth.

Convergence Points

Building Rome(s) • 15 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
💼 Business Processes
  1. Effective organizations succeed through quick movement, nimbleness, decision-making, and goal achievement.
  2. Meaningful conversations serve as crucial convergence points in successful cross-functional projects.
  3. Processes can hinder communication if they don't facilitate conversations; prioritize conversational effectiveness.

Small Changes

Fish Food for Thought • 5 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Processes
  1. Small changes in processes can lead to significant impacts.
  2. In business and products, incremental changes can often result in remarkable outcomes.
  3. Consider the small components of a system and how tweaking them can bring about large improvements.

The life and nature of a process

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 18 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. Processes and systems are not necessarily opposites; in reality, systems are formed by combining effective processes over time.
  2. In the journey from processes to culture, there's a struggle between different perspectives like hedgehogs and foxes which influence how processes evolve.
  3. Balancing attention to detail (hedgehog) and simplicity (fox) is key in progressing processes and becoming a successful Technical Program Manager.

A journey into the Linux proc filesystem

The Personable Engineer • 3 HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Processes
  1. The "/proc" folder in Linux is a pseudo-filesystem that provides access to kernel data structures, allowing tools like ps and top to query data about processes and the kernel.
  2. By exploring the proc filesystem, you can gather useful information about processes, such as executable files, threads, environment variables, process owner, and more, even without tools like ps or top.
  3. The proc filesystem also offers insights into kernel information, such as the kernel version, configurations, and system uptime, providing a deeper understanding of the system's inner workings.

Plant Trees Before You Need the Shade

realkinetic • 0 implied HN points • 29 Jan 18
💼 Business Processes
  1. Companies go through different phases like seed, startup, growth, and maturity where culture and capabilities play vital roles.
  2. Culture is the invisible force that guides your organization while capabilities stem from resources, processes, and values.
  3. Success in organizations transitions from being resource-driven to process and value-driven over time, and adapting processes to new challenges is key for sustained growth.

Good intentions don't work

Tech Ramblings • 0 implied HN points • 05 Feb 23
💼 Business Processes
  1. Good intentions alone are not enough to achieve goals; having clear processes is essential. Relying on gut feelings or promises can lead to bad outcomes.
  2. Good teams follow documented processes for tasks, decisions, and problem-solving. This helps everyone know what to do and ensures accountability.
  3. Amazon's culture emphasizes clear procedures, which makes it a great place for engineers. Following these principles helps teams work effectively and align their efforts.