Driving Toward Clarity

In this chapter, I’ll introduce the last foundational skill—driving toward clarity. It is not a single step in the management process but is instead a skill that is applied to every process we drive and every decision we make. It is the reason why you will hear the Technical Program Manager (TPM) in the room ask why and how. It’s why you see TPMs run meeting after meeting, working session after working session, and attending every standup that they can fit into their schedule. They are constantly taking the information they have and clarifying it so that it has no ambiguity left and is easier to understand and follow. Driving towards clarity leads to consensus because, without clarity, you can’t move past getting everyone onto the same page, and you can’t continue on to driving consensus. It is truly the skill TPMs utilize the most and is even built into leveling guidelines as a clear expectation, as we will touch upon later...