XS✔ ◾ Improved TOFU rule

rules/tofu/rule.md

@@ -13,39 +13,37 @@ created: 2024-02-06T13:42:55.753Z
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-When working on a task, you often need to wait for others to continue your work. In that situation, it's easy to fire and forget, meaning the task doesn't get done for a long time. No one cares about unblocking a task as much as the person doing it. That's why it's important for that person to follow the Take Ownership and Follow Up (TOFU) principle.
+When working on a task, you often need to wait for others to continue your work. In that situation, it's easy to fire and forget, meaning the task doesn't get done for a long time. No one cares about unblocking a task as much as the person doing it. That's why it's important for that person to follow the **Take Ownership and Follow Up (TOFU)** principle.
 
 That means taking ownership of the task and chasing the people you are waiting on until it gets done.
 
 <!--endintro-->
 
-### What TOFU Involves
+### What TOFU involves
 
 There are 2 main aspects to TOFU:
 
-- Taking Ownership - Giving timely honest updates to stakeholders about progress
-- Following up - Proactively communicating with blockers (ideally chase them at least one a day)
+* **Taking Ownership** - Giving timely honest updates to stakeholders about progress
+* **Following up** - Proactively communicating with blockers (ideally chase them at least one a day)
 
-### Why It's Important
+### Why it's important
 
-- **Accountability**: The TOFU principle fosters a culture of accountability, where individuals feel personally invested in the outcome of their work.
-- **Clarity**: Regular follow-ups provide clarity to all stakeholders, keeping everyone informed about progress, challenges, and changes.
-- **Trust**: Demonstrating reliability through consistent follow-up strengthens trust among team members and with clients or stakeholders.
+* **Accountability** - The TOFU principle fosters a culture of accountability, where individuals feel personally invested in the outcome of their work.
+* **Clarity** - Regular follow-ups provide clarity to all stakeholders, keeping everyone informed about progress, challenges, and changes.
+* **Trust** - Demonstrating reliability through consistent follow-up strengthens trust among team members and with clients or stakeholders.
 
-### How to Do It Effectively
+### How to do it effectively
 
-1. **Acknowledge and Accept**: When a task is assigned to you, acknowledge it promptly and ensure you understand the requirements. If anything is unclear, seek clarification immediately.
-2. **Communicate Proactively**: Don't wait for someone to ask for an update. Regularly communicate your progress, especially if you encounter any roadblocks or delays.
-3. **Set Clear Deadlines**: Establish realistic deadlines for your tasks and communicate these with your team and stakeholders. If a deadline needs to be adjusted, communicate this change as early as possible.
-4. **Use Tools to Your Advantage**: Understand the best ways for [following up effectively](/follow-up-effectively) and leverage Scrum tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitHub, Trello) to track tasks, deadlines, and progress.
-5. **Close the Loop**: Once a task is completed, ensure all relevant parties are informed and that any necessary documentation is updated. Closing the loop is a critical part of the follow-up process, as it signifies that no further action is required. The way to do this for a task you received via email is to [send a Done email](/reply-done-and-delete-the-email/). For tasks (e.g. a PBI) outside an email it is usually to [add a comment](/close-pbis-with-context/).
+1. **Acknowledge and accept** - When a task is assigned to you, acknowledge it promptly and ensure you understand the requirements. If anything is unclear, seek clarification immediately
+2. **Communicate oroactively** - Don't wait for someone to ask for an update. Regularly communicate your progress, especially if you encounter any roadblocks or delays
+3. **Set clear deadlines** - Establish realistic deadlines for your tasks and communicate these with your team and stakeholders. If a deadline needs to be adjusted, communicate this change as early as possible
+4. **Use tools to your advantage** - Understand the best ways for [following up effectively](/follow-up-effectively) and leverage Scrum tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, GitHub, Trello) to track tasks, deadlines, and progress
+5. **Close the loop** - Once a task is completed, ensure all relevant parties are informed and that any necessary documentation is updated. Closing the loop is a critical part of the follow-up process, as it signifies that no further action is required. The way to do this for a task you received via email is to [send a Done email](/reply-done-and-delete-the-email/). For tasks (e.g. a PBI) outside an email it is usually to [add a comment](/close-pbis-with-context/)
 
-### Common Pitfalls to Avoid
+### Common pitfalls to avoid
 
-- **Overcommitting**: Only take ownership of tasks you have the bandwidth to manage. Overcommitting can lead to missed deadlines and decreased quality of work.
-- **Under-communicating**: Assuming others are aware of your progress or challenges without regular updates can lead to misunderstandings and delays.
-- **Neglecting the Big Picture**: While focusing on your tasks, don't lose sight of how they fit into the larger goals and timelines.
+* **Overcommitting** - Only take ownership of tasks you have the bandwidth to manage. Overcommitting can lead to missed deadlines and decreased quality of work.
+* **Under-communicating** - Assuming others are aware of your progress or challenges without regular updates can lead to misunderstandings and delays.
+* **Neglecting the big picture** - While focusing on your tasks, don't lose sight of how they fit into the larger goals and timelines.
 
-### In Conclusion
-
-Embracing the TOFU principle is not just about completing tasks; it's about building a reliable, transparent, and efficient work environment. By consistently applying these principles, you contribute to the success of your projects, the growth of your team, and your personal development.
+Embracing the TOFU principle is not just about completing tasks - it's about building a reliable, transparent, and efficient work environment. By consistently applying these principles, you contribute to the success of your projects, the growth of your team, and your personal development.