The hottest Team Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

TBM 411: Messy Docs As Helpful Pattern

The Beautiful Mess • 581 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. High-performing teams often rely on messy, freeform docs—copying notes, links, screenshots, checklists, and inline todos—to externalize working memory and capture evolving product work.
  2. Those documents only stay useful when they’re part of a repeated ritual: frequent integration, reflection, and habit keep the artifacts current; without that repetition they decay into relics or private knowledge.
  3. Organizations still need legibility, so the aim should be to design small, intentional interfaces—minimal shared routines, objects, or language—that translate messy local work into clear signals without forcing teams to stop working the way they do.

2024-25 Knicks Confidence Rankings

Knicks Film School • 753 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. The Knicks are dealing with early injuries, particularly with Precious Achiuwa who will be out for a few weeks. This could change their lineup plans as they try to fill the gap.
  2. They have made some roster moves, waiving several players but may bring back some of them once players recover from injuries. They are also looking to save money on their salary cap.
  3. Some rookies on the team like Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek have shown promise in preseason, which could lead to them getting more playing time as the regular season begins.

Genie: Death of the Iron Triangle?

Software Design: Tidy First? • 243 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  1. The old Iron Triangle idea—pick any two of better, sooner, or cheaper—doesn't fit software development.
  2. If you fix quality high and let scope vary (an idea from XP), teams can actually deliver sooner and for less cost.
  3. Faster, cheaper, and sooner are connected, and achieving them is a deliberate trade-off of scope rather than a bit of magic.

The Buffalo Bills Are a Mess, But Sean McDermott's Firing Was Totally Justifiable

Freddie deBoer • 2382 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Sean McDermott rebuilt the Bills and earned respect, but his defenses repeatedly collapsed in playoff games, so firing him was justifiable.
  2. The team's biggest problems have been poor roster construction—especially at wide receiver and in getting an impact pass rusher—which are primarily the GM's responsibility and have crippled postseason chances.
  3. Fans and local media have reason to be angry about how the firing and front office handling were conducted, but meaningful change was necessary to try to get past the team’s playoff ceiling.

TBM 403: The Seduction (And Folly) Of Rollups, Points, and (Most) Time Tracking

The Beautiful Mess • 542 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. Rollups, story points, and detailed time tracking feel like neat accounting but are really proxies and guesses, and over-relying on them leads teams to game metrics or manage the proxy instead of the real work.
  2. Time allocation is not the same as capacity — capacity is emergent and built over time — so measurement approaches must match the nature of the system rather than forcing every team into a single rollup model.
  3. Focus on outcome-oriented, low-cost signals that support decisions (like releases, customer impact, dependencies, and flow metrics), connect work to goals when it makes sense, and use rough estimates instead of chasing false precision.
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Future Scrum Resistance

Rethinking Software • 99 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  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.

7 Slack hacks for engineers and managers

Leading Developers • 122 implied HN points • 03 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  1. Show only unread conversations and group channels by priority so you only see what needs attention.
  2. Mute and unmute groups and silence noisy threads to control when things demand your time, and schedule short regular reviews for lower-priority channels.
  3. Use message reminders and the /remind command to turn messages into timed tasks, and spend a few minutes organizing sections so the small setup saves hours and reduces mental load.

How Linear builds product

Lenny's Newsletter • 4166 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. Linear operates without traditional product managers, relying on a head of product instead.
  2. Teams at Linear assemble around projects and disperse once the project is complete.
  3. Linear prioritizes taste, opinions, and strategy over metrics, A/B tests, and specific goals.

The Renaissance of Media

Growth Croissant • 963 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. Building a media business as an individual is challenging and requires hard work and consistency.
  2. As a media business grows, managing growth, monetization, and tech can become distracting from the core creative efforts.
  3. To bridge the resource gap between large media companies and individual creators, providing hands-on support for tech and growth can be beneficial.

The Buffalo Bills have a decision to make

Go Long with Tyler Dunne • 511 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. The Buffalo Bills need to decide whether to build around their head coach or go all-in on their quarterback, Josh Allen.
  2. The team's offensive strategy needs to revolve around maximizing Josh Allen's talents as a quarterback to reach their full potential.
  3. The Bills have to prioritize making strategic decisions to support Josh Allen if they aim to succeed in the long run, potentially even considering coaching changes.

How bad is it at Man Utd?

Grace on Football • 766 implied HN points • 23 Sep 23
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Manchester United's managerial structure needs clarity and definition for success
  2. Erik ten Hag emphasizes coaching and player training in the Dutch football manager tradition
  3. United's performance needs improvement for a chance at a successful season

Justin Time!

THE BATFLIP • 353 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Justin Turner signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2024 season.
  2. Turner brings a mix of hitting ability and fielding skills to the Jays lineup.
  3. The Jays may still need to make additional moves to strengthen the team.

The 'delayed opinions givers' - engineering teams everybody hates

Leading Developers • 70 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  1. Prioritize unblocking other teams and put their urgent needs before your own most of the time, because being helpful builds trust and speeds up the whole company.
  2. Don’t give delayed attention — slow reviews and late answers cause wasted developer weeks, messy merges, technical debt, and demoralized engineers, so respond promptly to requests you agree to handle.
  3. Make work visible and set boundaries: use simple trackers so requests don’t get lost, help teams the first few times while teaching them to do better, and escalate or block repeat abusers.

Thinking Like an Owner: Elevating Your Data Team's Impact In 2025

SeattleDataGuy’s Newsletter • 788 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. Data teams should focus on projects that really matter to the business, not just completing tasks. It's important to pick work that makes a difference.
  2. Understanding how your business works is key to finding valuable projects. Ask questions about the data to see what's impacting your important metrics.
  3. Shift your mindset from being a regular team member to thinking like a business owner. This means taking initiative and seeking out projects that align with overall business goals.

TBM 324: Goal-O-Rama

The Beautiful Mess • 780 implied HN points • 27 Nov 24
🚌 Education Team Management
  1. There are different types of goals you can set, like overarching goals that define your main purpose, target goals that have specific targets to reach, and anti-goals that clarify what you want to avoid.
  2. Using a mix of goal types can make your plans more fun and effective, like combining continuous progress goals for day-to-day improvements with milestone-oriented goals for big achievements.
  3. Keeping track of leading and lagging goals helps you understand the connection between your actions and their outcomes, allowing you to adapt your approach as needed.

The Bears

Points And Figures • 559 implied HN points • 27 Dec 24
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. The Bears' organization is struggling in many areas, including poor management and lack of direction. Fans feel frustrated as they haven't seen consistent success or a clear plan to improve.
  2. The game experience at Soldier Field is disappointing, with issues like bad food and long lines. Many fans prefer watching games at home rather than going to the stadium.
  3. The Bears have had a hard time finding the right coaches and building a solid team. Even though there are some good players, the overall performance is lacking, especially on the offensive line.

Roster Decisions

Mets Fix • 314 implied HN points • 27 Mar 23
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. The Mets are finalizing their roster decisions for Opening Day, including signing Dylan Bundy for more depth in the starting rotation.
  2. Max Scherzer will start the opener, with Justin Verlander pitching the home opener - despite dealing with an injury scare in his final spring tune-up.
  3. The process of selecting the Opening Day roster is ceremonial and a fluid process, aimed at balancing competing for a championship and developing top talent.

State of the Union

Mets Fix • 314 implied HN points • 23 Mar 23
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Steve Cohen talks about the Mets and the World Baseball Classic
  2. Updates on Edwin DĂ­az's injury and negotiations with Pete Alonso
  3. Insurance impact on team's ability to add more talent

You Cannot Be Afraid of Your Team

The Breaking Point • 179 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
đź’Ľ Business Team Management
  1. If you let fear of how your team will react control your decisions, you're not really leading.
  2. It's important to seek your team's input but remember that final decisions are yours to make.
  3. As a leader, you need to accept that not everyone will be pleased with your decisions, and that's part of the job.

64 good, gettable NBA players

TrueHoop • 255 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. There are 18 NBA teams with aspirations for the 2024 conference finals, needing help to compete, especially in the East.
  2. Atlanta Hawks are evaluating Trae Young and considering roster upgrades to win now or potentially rebuild like the Thunder.
  3. The article discusses available NBA players that could make an impact for teams, exploring potential trades and acquisitions.

When fantasy gets real

TrueHoop • 98 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Fantasy sports can stir up real emotions and conflicts among friends and family.
  2. Managing a fantasy team involves strategic decisions in trading players and lineup choices.
  3. Success in fantasy sports can come from a combination of good player management and matchup strategies.

The CTO's Perfect Week

The CTO Substack • 2 HN points • 31 Aug 24
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  1. As a CTO, it's important to shift focus from just coding to empowering your team. Your role is about building capabilities that help the company grow, not just doing the coding yourself.
  2. Devote specific days of the week to different themes, like 'Momentum Mondays' for delivery and 'Teaming Tuesdays' for collaboration. This structure can help manage your time and prioritize what matters.
  3. Start small by blocking out just 15 minutes a day for these focused activities. This can help you gradually build better habits and ultimately enhance your leadership impact.

Should Your Data Science Team be Centralized or Decentralized? Why Not Intentionally Rotate?

Mike Talks AI • 98 implied HN points • 19 May 23
đź•ą Technology Team Management
  1. Consider a hybrid approach for data science teams to balance the strengths of both centralized and decentralized setups.
  2. Some companies are experimenting with intentionally rotating between centralized and decentralized structures every few years.
  3. Switching between centralization and decentralization periodically allows for exploration and scalability of diverse ideas within data science teams.