Company
Date Published
Author
Hannah Healy
Word count
1299
Language
English
Hacker News points
None

Summary

The engineering team at Intercom, a software company, aimed to improve their incident reviews, which are meetings where they discuss and analyze errors or failures in their product. Initially, the format was focused on asking five questions, but it didn't facilitate open discussion, and engineers felt uncomfortable presenting. The team realized that the format made them feel like they were on trial and didn't allow for natural conversations to emerge. To address this, they started experimenting with new formats, such as using polls to guide the conversation and encouraging participants to practice good video meeting etiquette. They also aimed to make the meetings more safe, constructive, and valuable for engineers. By making these changes, the team saw an increase in attendance and engagement, with a 50% rise in weekly reviews attended. The goal of their program is to build an honest, accountable, and constructive culture within teams that care about customer experience.