Managing changes in priorities
As new information becomes available, priorities change. Generally, it is a good thing to have flexibility in prioritization to respond to changes and course-correct. However, sometimes, the degree of change may become excessive, and the source of change can feel less like “new information” and more like “the inability to make up one’s mind.” Excessive changes in priorities may become frustrating to engineering teams when they cannot get clarity on what they are meant to be working on. When priority changes become more representative of a lack of commitment or lack of focus, this can signal that it is time for an engineering manager to investigate.
Churn in software development refers to how often something is overwritten or changed. To get a handle on priority churn, start by looking at the context and the prioritization dynamics, and then use that information to determine how to address the situation.
