The continuous improvement of the work product is the goal of the autonomous team. It is achieved through the regular delivery of new work, the measurement and testing of that work, and ongoing iterations to refine and enhance what has been delivered. Continuous improvement stands opposed to “perfection”, which is highly subjective, unpredictable, and prone to lengthy delays that block testing and customer feedback. “Better” and “good enough” are the rallying cries of the highly functioning autonomous team.
The continuous improvement of productivity is also the goal of the team. Every cycle of work is an opportunity to improve collaboration through better consensus-building, better sizing of tasks, and better communication. This evolution of the team’s workflow is measured, celebrated, and communicated to the larger organization.