I Don't Want the Details

A while ago, I found myself in a call with my engineering colleague and their superior, the SVP of engineering. An issue had occurred, and I began to explain the circumstances when the SVP interrupted me, stating "Michael, I don't want the details." I understood that the SVP believed that once the reasons behind the incident were clear, there would be no need for further discussion.

I explained the situation, and the SVP appreciated my understanding, but emphasized that he wanted to know what changes were being made. Initially, I found the SVP's statement dismissive, questioning how they could make informed decisions without understanding the details. However, I realized that the SVP was not being dismissive; they trusted that we were capable and wanted to focus on the next steps rather than the specifics of what had happened.

Postmortems often start with the question "Why did this happen?" This question can make things worse by leading to a detailed explanation of the events. The SVP preferred a different approach: instead of asking "why did this happen?" they asked "What are we changing so that the same class of failure is less likely next time?" By focusing on changing the system rather than the people, the organization can drive lasting improvement.

The SVP believed that the people involved were competent and well-intentioned, and they didn't need the details to trust that. They were willing to accept the incident as an unfortunate but understandable sequence of events and concentrate on what changes were needed to prevent similar occurrences in the future.