Blocker

Team members wait for work to be given to them.

Solution

The team owns outcomes, not work items.

We make this possible through three foundations:

Established Roles & Ownership (Stage 1 — Foundation)
Clear Customer Profile & Access (Stage 2 — Customer)
Micro–Macro Missions Model (Stage 4 — Ownership)

Micro–Macro Missions Model

This model is used to give every team member a clear, structured way to take ownership — and connect those efforts directly to outcomes.

(Full guide linked below.)

Why This Matters

In maturing teams, initiative often becomes uneven: some people spot and fix problems, while others wait for direction.

This model makes initiative a team-wide habit, turning ownership into part of the culture.

How the Model Works

There are three mission sizes — each with a clear scope, difficulty, and expected impact:

Mission Flow (Step-by-Step)

Spot the Mission
- Use retrospectives, feedback sessions, or daily observations to find opportunities.
Define the Mission
- Fill out the Mission Template to make the scope, value, and ownership explicit.
Assign Ownership
- Assign to an individual or a small group — never “the whole team” in theory.
Deliver the Mission
- Integrate it into normal sprint or flow cycles.
Review & Iterate
- Evaluate in the next retrospective: Did it solve the problem? Should it be adjusted or scaled?
Celebrate & Close
- Mark it as done, share the win, and log it for future learning.

Tip: Keep a Mission Board in your team space or tool to make all Micro–Macro missions visible, trackable, and connected to outcomes.

The Mission Template

When a mission is identified, capture it in a simple template so it’s crystal-clear what’s being done and why.

Mission Size — How big is this thing? (Macro / Meso / Micro)
Mission Name — Short, clear, and focused on the point, not the process.
Problem — What’s the problem we’re solving, not the task we’re doing?
Persona — Who has this problem?
Build–Test–Iterate (Macro/Meso only) — Can it be built, tested, and iterated?
Mission Value — What business value will it deliver?
- Revenue – Brings in money
- Cost – Saves money or time
- Risk – Lowers exposure or liability
- Enabler – Unlocks future business value
- Unclear – If value isn’t clear, question if it’s worth doing
DD — 1 Sprint/month/quarter/year
Mission Priority — Yesterday, Today, This Week, This Month, This Quarter, Next Year
Mission Difficulty — Junior, Intermediate, Senior

Team

Blocker

Team members wait for work to be given to them.

Solution

The team owns outcomes, not work items.

We make this possible through three foundations:

Established Roles & Ownership (Stage 1 — Foundation)

Clear Customer Profile & Access (Stage 2 — Customer)

Micro–Macro Missions Model (Stage 4 — Ownership)

Micro–Macro Missions Model

This model is used to give every team member a clear, structured way to take ownership — and connect those efforts directly to outcomes.

(Full guide linked below.)

Why This Matters

In maturing teams, initiative often becomes uneven: some people spot and fix problems, while others wait for direction.

This model makes initiative a team-wide habit, turning ownership into part of the culture.

How the Model Works

There are three mission sizes — each with a clear scope, difficulty, and expected impact:

Mission Flow (Step-by-Step)

Spot the Mission

Use retrospectives, feedback sessions, or daily observations to find opportunities.

Define the Mission

Fill out the Mission Template to make the scope, value, and ownership explicit.

Assign Ownership

Assign to an individual or a small group — never “the whole team” in theory.

Deliver the Mission

Integrate it into normal sprint or flow cycles.

Review & Iterate

Evaluate in the next retrospective: Did it solve the problem? Should it be adjusted or scaled?

Celebrate & Close

Mark it as done, share the win, and log it for future learning.

Tip: Keep a Mission Board in your team space or tool to make all Micro–Macro missions visible, trackable, and connected to outcomes.

The Mission Template

When a mission is identified, capture it in a simple template so it’s crystal-clear what’s being done and why.

Mission Size — How big is this thing? (Macro / Meso / Micro)

Mission Name — Short, clear, and focused on the point, not the process.

Problem — What’s the problem we’re solving, not the task we’re doing?

Persona — Who has this problem?

Build–Test–Iterate (Macro/Meso only) — Can it be built, tested, and iterated?

Mission Value — What business value will it deliver?

Revenue – Brings in money

Cost – Saves money or time

Risk – Lowers exposure or liability

Enabler – Unlocks future business value

Unclear – If value isn’t clear, question if it’s worth doing

DD — 1 Sprint/month/quarter/year

Mission Priority — Yesterday, Today, This Week, This Month, This Quarter, Next Year

Mission Difficulty — Junior, Intermediate, Senior

Example: “Move from ad-hoc releases to biweekly deployments”

A card could look something like this:

Why We Do It Like This

For those with some agile experience — yes, this is retros and enablers.

The difference is it’s structured and aimed at driving ownership in the team.

Too often, retro improvement items fall into a “do it if you want” approach.

That wastes time. Here, missions are owned, tracked, and completed.

Additional Resources

We build outcome driven teams.