TBM 348: Shared Understanding At Scale

Overview
This article explores the challenges of achieving shared understanding across large technical organizations. It examines how information overload, lossy communication models, and cascading updates can erode alignment, and proposes practices for creating a unified roadmap view that scales.

Key Takeaways

• Information overload and lossy models undermine shared understanding.
• Avoid "telephone game" dynamics by keeping communication loops tight.
• Invest in a single source of truth roadmap that is regularly refreshed.
• Visual simplicity beats overly complex cascades.
• Encourage cross-team dialogue to surface hidden assumptions.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers seeking better alignment.
• Technical leaders responsible for product roadmaps.
• Product managers coordinating across multiple teams.
• Developers who need clear context for their work.

Frameworks and Methodologies

• None explicitly cited, but concepts align with lean communication and continuous alignment practices.