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8 Habits of Highly Productive Engineering Teams

Discover eight core engineering habits that will help you improve developer productivity and build a data-driven culture.
Habits Toolkit: Structured guidance on the actions, metrics, and goals that improve DevEx, predictable delivery, profitable engineering, and team development.
Role-specific Action Plans: How each member contributes to the effectiveness of the organizational habits.
Templates: Frameworks for ceremonies, meetings, and reporting to organize and communicate relevant data that builds feedback loops.

8 Habits of Highly Productive Engineering Teams

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What's Inside?

Habit Loop showing analysis, Action, and Interpretation cycle.

Establishing Habits Using Data

While each habit occurs on different cadences, with different participants, using different insights, they all come down to leveraging data to enhance conversations, inform decisions, and drive action. All eight of the habits discussed in this guide–from flow optimization to the data-enhanced 1:1–can be boiled down to three key phases:
  • Interpretation
  • Action
  • Analysis
Teams that can build this muscle are the ones that will succeed.
Monthly Metrics Check-In: Leadership

Align Habits with Strategic Outcomes

The guide focuses on the four key areas of developer productivity, aligning specific habits- to the responsible team members to drive consistent outcomes and continuous improvement to meet your goals.
  • Developer Experience
  • Predictable SW Delivery
  • Profitable Engineering
  • Team Goals & Developer Coaching
Monte Carlo simulation distribution chart

Collect the Right Metrics and Data

Teams looking to establish these habits need actionable insight. Focus on the quality of data looking at both historical trends and leading indicators. Leverage standardized dashboards, reports, and tools - and the right SEI platform - to assemble the right data.
  • Operational data from git tools and PM systems
  • Quality and service availability metrics
  • Qualitative data from surveys and self-reporting sources
  • Other key toolchain components
Clarify roles and responsibilities

Clarify Roles and Responsibilities

Be inclusive to ensure a multidisciplinary approach that captures all of the engineering organization and factors in unique needs. As with all team efforts, roles and responsibilities must be clearly articulated. The guide breaks down the contributions from different roles and factors in their unique contribution to overall productivity – from team leads to the CTO.
Sprint Retrospective

Establish a Meeting & Ceremony Cadence

Consistent practice and repetition are the keys to establishing durable habits. Focus on a limited set of habits and enforce discipline with a regular cadence of check-ins and ceremonies. Decide on how to prioritize based on organizational needs and move to adjacent habits as practices mature:
  • Monthly metrics review and cycle time analysis
  • Sprint retrospectives and weekly project status meetings
  • Quarterly Business Reviews
  • Bi-weekly 1x1 and quarterly coaching sessions
Data-Enhanced Goal Setting

Standardize the Habit

The guide aims to simplify and standardize processes as much as possible to facilitate habit adoption. This reduces overhead and is also effective in removing obstacles like resistance to change and uncertainty surrounding goals and next steps. Resources include:
  • Ceremony preparation
  • Data collection templates
  • Agendas
  • Reports and communication

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