S2:E6 - Handling Unplanned Work and Interruptions in Engineering Teams: The Firefighter Role

In this episode, we explore a challenge that plagues every engineering team: the constant stream of interruptions that disrupt our workflows. Drawing from our combined experiences working with dozens of engineering teams, we introduce the concept of the “firefighter” role - a structured approach to managing unplanned work that’s transformed how teams handle interruptions.

We dive into the science behind context switching, examine why solutions often fail, and explore a practical framework that turns interruptions from productivity killers into opportunities for systematic improvement.

Key topics we cover:

• The true cost of context switching in engineering teams
• Why common interrupt-handling approaches break down
• How to implement and rotate the firefighter role
• Turning interruptions into systematic improvements
• Measuring success and avoiding common pitfalls

Show Notes:

How engineering teams handle unplanned work - this article captured my thoughts exactly and includes some really good visualisations of the different approaches.

The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress - UC Irvine study

And a FastCompany article about the study.