Start every standup with the constraint metric — before…
Begin every team standup with the current constraint metric before individual updates to keep collective attention focused on the binding bottleneck.
When This Fires
- Running daily standups or team check-ins
- When the team has identified a system constraint but keeps forgetting about it
- During any recurring meeting where collective focus on throughput matters
- When individual activity reporting has replaced system-level thinking in standups
Common Failure Mode
Mentioning the constraint metric and then immediately proceeding to individual updates without connecting the two. "PR queue is at 14. Okay, Alice, what are you working on?" The metric becomes a ritual without meaning. The connection must be made: "PR queue is at 14. Before individual updates — is anyone doing something today that directly addresses this?" This keeps the constraint as the organizing question, not a decorative opening.
The Protocol
Every standup: (1) First words: state the current constraint metric — name, current value, target, trend. (2) Ask: "Does anyone's work today directly address this constraint?" (3) If yes, those updates go first. (4) Then proceed with remaining individual updates, implicitly framed against the constraint. (5) Close with: "Did anything come up that affects the constraint?" Total overhead: 90 seconds. Impact on collective focus: significant.