Engineering teams often face communication challenges that can lead to suboptimal software development outcomes, largely due to dynamics such as HIPPO syndrome, groupthink, and ineffective communication strategies. These issues can result in technical debt, characterized by complex problems and inconsistent solutions. Key pitfalls include differing mental models, where team members' unique perspectives lead to misunderstandings; undocumented tacit and tribal knowledge, which causes delays and loss of institutional knowledge; ineffective documentation practices that fail to capture the full scope of a system; and knowledge fragmentation due to over-reliance on multiple tools. Successful teams are those that intentionally mitigate these pitfalls by reducing tool fragmentation, creating shared artifacts during investigations, encouraging asynchronous communication, and building feedback loops to address and prevent communication breakdowns. By implementing these strategies, engineering teams can enhance collaboration, minimize technical debt, and improve their software development processes.