The Single Most Important Lesson I’ve Learned Working On Agile Software Teams

Not all lessons are created equal.

Some lessons we learn are small. They are little reminders along the way of what truly matters.

Other lessons are giant. They fundamentally change the course of our entire lives.

Over the past 15 years working on agile software teams, this is the single most important lesson I've learned about making and keeping commitments:

Consistently doing what you say you're going to do puts you in the top 1%

And here's why:

99% of teams don't do what they say they're going to do.

There are a lot of great excuses out there. Missed requirements, unclear acceptance criteria, a critical dependency not done on time. But at the end of the day they're all excuses we use when we don't do what we say we're going to do.

Great teams don't make excuses, they make—and keep—commitments.