Applying QBQ! Principles to Boost Your Engineering Team.

Blaming, playing the victim, and complaining can always kill your engineering organization.

I recently finished reading a book that the CTO of the startup I work for recommended to me; this time, it was a book away from the world of startups, but it is a self-help book, so to speak; the name of the book is QBQ! the question behind the question By John G. Miller.

I liked it, it was a different reading, and I want to share some lessons with all of you, and more than anything, I wanted to focus them on engineering.

Let's start by explaining what QBQ is! And why it's essential for engineering tea, ms no matter its size.

Definition

📖 A tool that enables individuals to practice personal accountability by making better choices at the moment.

At first, this concept seemed a bit strange to me, but no matter how simple it may seem, it looks pretty powerful when you learn the details of the technique.

The premise is simple if we ask ourselves better questions, we get better answers and guides that can help us create a QBQ; I like to see it like in the movies; Lights, camera, and action.

1. Start with “What” or “How” please don’t you ever date using Why, When or Who (I know that it sounds like a 3-year-old English lesson, but bear with me) 💡

2. It should always contain the “I.” 🎥

3. Focus on action 🎬

This guide focuses a lot on how we ask those questions, but I would also like to explain why certain things we should avoid and why it matters.

❌ Ask Why?

Something that Autor mentions a lot in the book is guilt and playing the victim; I even think it's on the cover of the book, and how there are specific questions that make you feel powerless and out of control of the situation and that leaves you without action to take, example:

• Why don’t others work like me?

• Why don’t people code as I code?

• Why is this happening to me?

• Why don’t people care as much as I do?

If you pay attention to these questions, it is very accurate that they leave you with a bad taste in your mouth and even worse than you were before asking them.

But what happens if you change the Why to How or What?

• How can I. do my job better today?

• What can I do to support others in their tasks?

• What can I build to help my team?

Every time I read the questions that start with "Why," I heard them in Cartman's voice when he complained to his mom, so please stop playing the victim.

Stress is a choice, and it’s also the result of our favorites.

❌ Ask When?

This one is simple, questions that begin with “When” lead to procrastination, something that has stuck with me is that “We should take action on small things when they are still small.”

❌ Ask Who? or, as I like to say, Git Blame ᛘ

God, I think this one does not need much explanation, but just in case, no one likes to be blamed for something, so instead of doing ask you these questions:

• What can I do today to solve the problem?

• How can I help to move the project forward?

Take Ownership

It means facing problems or difficulties head-on instead of blaming others.

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How QBQ Can Improve My Engineering Team

Successful teams are based on people who practice individual accountability; in a group, there shouldn't be questions like “What can we do?” but we should ask ourselves, “What can I do?”

Now that we know all this, these are some things that can improve if you start using QBQ in your team.

1. Improving communication:
   Instead of asking, "Why aren't people communicating effectively?" ask, "What can I do to improve communication within the team?" This shifts the focus from blaming others to finding solutions and taking accountability for improving communication; we have a whole post about over-communication. Check it out here.

2. Increase collaboration:
   Instead of asking, "Why aren't our teams working together effectively?" ask, "What can I do to improve collaboration with other teams?" This encourages individuals to take ownership of their part in improving collaboration and working towards a common goal.

3. Foster a culture of continuous improvement:
   Instead of asking, "Why can't we seem to make any progress?" ask, "What can I do to help us progress and continue to improve?" This encourages people to focus on taking action and making minor, gradual improvements over time.

4. Encourage innovation:
   Instead of asking, "Why can't we come up with any fresh ideas?" ask, "What can I do to promote an innovative environment and uplift fresh ideas?" This encourages people to take ownership of their role in building a culture of innovation and actively seek new ideas and solutions.

5. Continuous learning:
   Instead of asking, "Why aren't we keeping up with the latest technology trends?" ask, "What can I do to stay up to date with the latest technologies and tools?" This encourages people to take ownership of their knowledge and development and work towards staying current with the latest trends.

6. Code reviews:
   Instead of asking, "Why isn't my code passing the review?" ask, "What can I do to improve my code and address the feedback from the review?" This encourages individuals to take ownership of their code quality and work towards improving it based on feedback. Another example would be, sometimes we find ourselves repeating the same advice or suggestion in a code review, e.g., `remove console.log` which can sometimes be annoying for the reviewer or even for the one who did it, so "What can I do to avoid this situation" one idea can write an es-lint rule to prevent those repeated comments in the code review.

7. Process improvement:
   Instead of asking, "Why isn't our development process performing as expected?" ask, "What can I do to improve our development processes, such as streamlining our workflow or implementing new tools or automation?".

Conclusion

In conclusion, practicing personal accountability through QBQ can significantly impact engineering teams. By asking better questions that focus on action and taking ownership, team members can improve communication and collaboration, foster a culture of continuous improvement, encourage innovation, and continuously learn. QBQ helps individuals shift their focus from blaming others to finding solutions, which is crucial in the fast-paced and constantly evolving world of technology. If you want to contribute to a more responsible and productive engineering team, try incorporating QBQ into your daily work life.

Remember that while QBQ can be a helpful tool for personal accountability and team collaboration, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution and may only work for some situations. So it's essential to continue exploring different approaches to see what works best for you and your team.