<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode, we explore a challenge that plagues every engineering team: the constant stream of interruptions that disrupt our workflows. Drawing from our combined experiences working with dozens of engineering teams, we introduce the concept of the “firefighter” role - a structured approach to managing unplanned work that’s transformed how teams handle interruptions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;We dive into the science behind context switching, examine why solutions often fail, and explore a practical framework that turns interruptions from productivity killers into opportunities for systematic improvement.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Key topics we cover:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul&gt; &lt;li&gt;The true cost of context switching in engineering teams&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Why common interrupt-handling approaches break down&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;How to implement and rotate the firefighter role&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Turning interruptions into systematic improvements&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li&gt;Measuring success and avoiding common pitfalls&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p&gt;Show Notes:&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://medium.com/boldstart-ventures/how-engineering-teams-handle-unplanned-work-d90415ff0d81"&gt;How engineering teams handle unplanned work&lt;/a&gt; - this article captured my thoughts exactly and includes some really good visualisations of the different approaches.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://ics.uci.edu/~gmark/chi08-mark.pdf"&gt;The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress&lt;/a&gt; - UC Irvine study&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;And a &lt;a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/944128/worker-interrupted-cost-task-switching"&gt;FastCompany article&lt;/a&gt; about the study.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;footer&gt;&lt;p&gt;Share your thoughts about the episode (and the podcast) at &lt;a href="mailto:feedback@the-retrospective.com"&gt;feedback@the-retrospective.com&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/footer&gt;</description>

The Retrospective

Jeremy Brown & Péter Szász

S2:E6 - Handling Unplanned Work and Interruptions in Engineering Teams: The Firefighter Role

DEC 10, 202431 MIN
The Retrospective

S2:E6 - Handling Unplanned Work and Interruptions in Engineering Teams: The Firefighter Role

DEC 10, 202431 MIN

Description

<p>In this episode, we explore a challenge that plagues every engineering team: the constant stream of interruptions that disrupt our workflows. Drawing from our combined experiences working with dozens of engineering teams, we introduce the concept of the “firefighter” role - a structured approach to managing unplanned work that’s transformed how teams handle interruptions.</p> <p>We dive into the science behind context switching, examine why solutions often fail, and explore a practical framework that turns interruptions from productivity killers into opportunities for systematic improvement.</p> <p>Key topics we cover:</p> <ul> <li>The true cost of context switching in engineering teams</li> <li>Why common interrupt-handling approaches break down</li> <li>How to implement and rotate the firefighter role</li> <li>Turning interruptions into systematic improvements</li> <li>Measuring success and avoiding common pitfalls</li> </ul> <p>Show Notes:</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/boldstart-ventures/how-engineering-teams-handle-unplanned-work-d90415ff0d81">How engineering teams handle unplanned work</a> - this article captured my thoughts exactly and includes some really good visualisations of the different approaches.</p> <p><a href="https://ics.uci.edu/~gmark/chi08-mark.pdf">The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress</a> - UC Irvine study</p> <p>And a <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/944128/worker-interrupted-cost-task-switching">FastCompany article</a> about the study.</p> <footer><p>Share your thoughts about the episode (and the podcast) at <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>!</p> </footer>