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:
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.
