How Clear Communication Prevents Team Conflicts

Solving problems without blaming

In collaborative teams, especially those following agile frameworks, it’s essential to create an environment that promotes communication and clarity. When individuals pick up tickets independently, staying aligned is crucial to prevent misunderstandings, overlapping work, and the potential for resentment. “Daily” meeting is a place where the team can align on the end goal, share the challenges or ask for help.

Situation:

Imagine this scenario: Team member “A” is working on a challenging ticket. During a daily, “A” shares that he/she is facing difficulties. Hearing this, “B” takes a look at the task and ends up completing the task. Next day, “A” finds the ticket already marked as done, and their efforts seemingly discarded. Although “B” intended to be helpful, the way it was handled left “A” feeling side-lined.

While this is a minor instance, similar situations can easily escalate, resulting in tension within the team. Small misunderstandings over who does what or steps on whose toes can lead to bigger issues over time.

So, what’s the solution?

Setting Clear Expectations: Communicate, Don’t Assume

The key here isn’t the complexity of the task — it’s the importance of keeping each other informed. In this case, “B” could have approached “A” to offer support or at least communicated that…