The document discusses ownership in high-performing teams, particularly in the context of software development, emphasizing the importance of clear expectations, effective communication, and proactive work to avoid failure modes. It highlights how individual responsibilities translate to team dynamics and provides strategies for managing dependencies and prioritizing tasks. The presentation encourages a mindset of continuous improvement while acknowledging limitations and fostering collaboration among team members.

1. HIGH-PERFORMING TEAMS
ACT LIKE OWNERS
Katharina Probst
Google

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Watch the video with slide
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https://www.infoq.com/presentations/
high-performing-teams-ownership/

3. Purpose of QCon
- to empower software development by facilitating the spread of
knowledge and innovation
Strategy
- practitioner-driven conference designed for YOU: influencers of
change and innovation in your teams
- speakers and topics driving the evolution and innovation
- connecting and catalyzing the influencers and innovators
Highlights
- attended by more than 12,000 delegates since 2007
- held in 9 cities worldwide
Presented at QCon San Francisco
www.qconsf.com

4. THE CLASSIC INCIDENT
2

5. THE CLASSIC INCIDENT - IN THREE ACTS
3
ANOTHER SYSTEM
A SYSTEM

6. I AM KATHARINA PROBST
You can find me at
www.linkedin.com/in/katharinaprobst
4

7. OWNERSHIP IN DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS
APIs, error codes, avoiding failure modes, and more
1
5

8. APIs
6
message PhoneNumber {
required string number = 1;
required string name = 2;
}
public List<PhoneNumber> getPhonesList();

9. STATUS CODE: 200 OK
7
A SYSTEM
ANOTHER SYSTEM
message PhoneNumber {
required string number = 1;
required string name = 2;
}
public List<PhoneNumber>
getPhonesList();

10. FAIL FAST: 503 - SERVICE UNAVAILABLE
8
A SYSTEM
ANOTHER SYSTEM
Retry with
backoff or
serve
fallback
message PhoneNumber {
required string number = 1;
required string name = 2;
}
public List<PhoneNumber>
getPhonesList();

11. ONE SERVICE’S EXPECTATIONS FROM ANOTHER
Clean APIs
Articulate what you
can do and what you
can’t do.
It’s your
responsibility to get
what you need from
your downstream
systems.
Status codes
Your responses
should give me clear
indication of what to
do next.
Fail fast
I don’t want you to
fail. But if you do, I
want you to let me
know instead of
timing out.
9

12. HOW TO AVOID FAILURE MODES
No SPOF
◦ There should not
be only one
server/zone/
region who can
handle this type of
request.
Don’t always say
yes
◦ Every request
that comes in
seems important.
◦ If everything’s a
P0, nothing is.
Communicate
◦ Everybody should
know my system’s
/ their request’s
status.
10

13. PROACTIVE WORK IN SYSTEMS
Thinking ahead
◦ How much traffic will my
system need to handle in
1 or 2 years?
◦ What do I need to do to
set myself up for
success?
More thinking ahead can
mean less reactive work
◦ Precomputation
◦ Garbage collection /
compaction
11

14. OWNERSHIP IN HUMAN SYSTEMS
It’s not that different
2
12

15. 13

16. 14

17. STATUS CODE: 418 I'm a teapot
15
Some days, it feels like that’s all I’m capable of
saying.

18. ONE PERSON’S EXPECTATIONS FROM ANOTHER
Clean APIs
Articulate what I can
do and what I can’t
do.
It’s my responsibility
to get what I need
from my teammates
or downstream
teams.
Status codes
My responses should
give you clear
indication of what to
do next.
Fail fast
You don’t want me to
fail. But if I do, you
want me to let you
know quickly instead
of timing out.
16

19. EXPECTATIONS
Status Codes
Fail Fast
Clean APIs
17

20. CLEAN APIs
Focus areas
◦ What are my
focus areas?
◦ What are my
projects this
quarter?
Non-focus areas
◦ What is it that
you are not
doing? Why?
◦ Why am I saying
no to your
request?
Updates
◦ What is the status
of my
projects/work
items?
18

21. EXPECTATIONS
Status Codes
Fail Fast
Clean APIs
19

22. STATUS CODE: 200 OK
20
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
Definitely. Here’s
the problem...

23. STATUS CODE: ??
21
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?

24. SCENARIO 1: I’M WORKING ON IT
22
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
SOME SYSTEM SOME DASHBOARD
SOME OTHER
PERSON
YET ANOTHER
DASHBOARD

25. SCENARIO 2: I’M NOT WORKING ON IT
23
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
ANOTHER PERSON
A THIRD PERSON
A FOURTH PERSON
A PROJECT
ANOTHER PROJECT
A THIRD PROJECT

26. HOW DOES MY COLLEAGUE TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
RETRY AFTER TIMEOUT OF COURSE!
24
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Ping?
Can you figure out
why x is failing?

27. (EXCEPT, OF COURSE, EVERYBODY RETRIES)
25
MY COLLEAGUE
MY COLLEAGUE
ANOTHER PERSON
A THIRD PERSON
A FOURTH PERSON
A PROJECT
ANOTHER PROJECT
A THIRD PROJECT

28. GOAL #1: RETURN 202 ACCEPTED [1]
26
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
Status: 202 Accepted
Will do. ETA by end of week.
[1]
This and subsequent slides are my goals. I’m nowhere near perfect on them.
Continuous improvement, y’all.

29. GOAL #1: RETURN 202 ACCEPTED
27
ANOTHER TEAM
Can you build
feature x?
Status: 202 Accepted
Will do. ETA by end of
quarter.
MY TEAM

30. EXPECTATIONS
Status Codes
Fail Fast
Clean APIs
28

31. GOAL #2a: RETURN 503 Service Unavailable WHEN
NECESSARY
29
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
I won’t be able to get this
done because of
higher-priority xyz
commitments.

32. GOAL #2b: DON’T TIME OUT AND THEN RETURN
308 Permanent Redirect
30
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
Actually, I’m not the right
person. Please go talk to y on
team z.
Ping?

33. AVOID FAILURE MODES
No SPOF
◦ I am not the only
one who can do
this.
31

34. GOAL #3: SCALE HORIZONTALLY
32
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you figure out
why x is failing?
My awesome colleague y
knows how to do it.

35. AVOID FAILURE MODES
No SPOF
◦ I am not the
only one who
can do this.
Don’t always say
yes
◦ Every request
that comes in
seems important.
◦ If everything’s a
P0, nothing is.
33

36. GOAL #4: SAY YES WHEN I CAN DO IT
34
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you
figure out
why x is
failing?
Yes, happy
to.
MY COLLEAGUE
ME
Can you
figure out
why x is
failing?
Can’t do it
this week,
sorry.

37. AVOID FAILURE MODES
No SPOF
◦ I am not the
only one who
can do this.
Don’t always say
yes
◦ Every request
that comes in
seems important.
◦ If everything’s a
P0, nothing is.
Communicate
◦ Others know
whether I’m
working on their
request.
35

38. GOAL #4: COMMUNICATE
36

39. GOAL #4 COROLLARY: HAVE A SYSTEM
37

40. OWNERSHIP AND PROACTIVE WORK
Thinking ahead
◦ What will my
area/system/project/org
look like in 2 years?
◦ What do I need to do to
set myself up for
success?
More thinking ahead can
mean less reactive work
◦ If I have tools in place to
answer questions or
prevent issues
◦ If I have proactively scaled
out my org
38

41. TAKE-AWAYS
What I have learned
3
39

42. WHAT I LEARNED
Human systems ~
Distributed
computer systems
◦ Clear expectations
help.
◦ Both will fail
(eventually).
Do less, but do it
well
◦ Pick and choose,
but then aim for
a high SLO.
◦ Say no more
often (but
explain why).
Communication is
key
◦ Let others know
what you can and
cannot do (clean
APIs).
◦ Minimize timeouts.
40

43. WHAT I LEARNED - (SELF-)COMPASSION
I can’t do everything
Don’t spread yourself too
thin.
I don’t expect others to do
everything
Understand that others are
under the same pressures.
41

44. Thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?
You can find me at
www.linkedin.com/in/katharinaprobst
42

45. BACKUP
43

46. HIGH-OWNERSHIP TEAMS
From individual to team
3
44

47. WHAT I LEARNED
DO LESS, BUT DO IT WELL
Pick and choose, but then aim
for perfection.
Say no more often (and more
quickly).
COMMUNICATION IS KEY
Let others know what you can
and cannot do (clean APIs).
Minimize time-outs.
Understand that there will be
disappointment.
45

48. INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
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You have to be signed in to your Google
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Click on the button under the presentation
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edit in PowerPoint.
Remember to download and install the fonts
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More info on how to use this template at www.slidescarnival.com/help-use-presentation-template
This template is free to use under Creative Commons Attribution license. You can keep the Credits slide
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46

49. Hello!
I AM JAYDEN SMITH
I am here because I love to give presentations.
You can find me at @username
47

50. TRANSITION HEADLINE
Let’s start with the first set of slides
1
48

51. “
Quotations are commonly printed as a
means of inspiration and to invoke
philosophical thoughts from the reader.
49

52. THIS IS A SLIDE TITLE
Here you have:
◦ A list of items
◦ And some text
◦ But remember not to overload your slides
with content
Your audience will listen to you or read the
content, but won’t do both.
50

53. BIG CONCEPT
Bring the attention of your audience over
a key concept using icons or illustrations
51

54. White
Is the color of milk and
fresh snow, the color
produced by the
combination of all the
colors of the visible
spectrum.
YOU CAN ALSO SPLIT YOUR CONTENT
Black
Is the color of coal, ebony,
and of outer space. It is
the darkest color, the
result of the absence of or
complete absorption of
light.
52

55. IN TWO OR THREE COLUMNS
Yellow
Is the color of gold,
butter and ripe
lemons. In the
spectrum of visible
light, yellow is found
between green and
orange.
Blue
Is the colour of the
clear sky and the
deep sea. It is
located between
violet and green on
the optical spectrum.
Red
Is the color of blood,
and because of this
it has historically
been associated with
sacrifice, danger and
courage.
53

56. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
A complex idea can be
conveyed with just a single
still image, namely making
it possible to absorb large
amounts of data quickly.
54

57. WANT BIG IMPACT?
Use big image.
55

58. USE CHARTS TO EXPLAIN YOUR IDEAS
GrayWhite Black
56

59. AND TABLES TO COMPARE DATA
A B C
Yellow 10 20 7
Blue 30 15 10
Orange 5 24 16
57

60. MAPS
our office
58

61. 89,526,124
Whoa! That’s a big number,
aren’t you proud?
59

62. 89,526,124$
That’s a lot of money
100%
Total success!
185,244 users
And a lot of users
60

63. OUR PROCESS IS EASY
Second
Last
First
61

64. LET’S REVIEW SOME CONCEPTS
Yellow
Is the color of gold, butter and
ripe lemons. In the spectrum of
visible light, yellow is found
between green and orange.
Blue
Is the colour of the clear sky
and the deep sea. It is located
between violet and green on
the optical spectrum.
Red
Is the color of blood, and
because of this it has
historically been associated
with sacrifice, danger and
courage.
Yellow
Is the color of gold, butter and
ripe lemons. In the spectrum of
visible light, yellow is found
between green and orange.
Blue
Is the colour of the clear sky
and the deep sea. It is located
between violet and green on
the optical spectrum.
Red
Is the color of blood, and
because of this it has
historically been associated
with sacrifice, danger and
courage.
62

65. You can copy&paste graphs from Google Sheets
63

66. MOBILE PROJECT
Show and explain your web,
app or software projects
using these gadget
templates.
64
Place your screenshot here

67. TABLET PROJECT
Show and explain your web,
app or software projects
using these gadget
templates.
65
Place your screenshot here

68. Place your screenshot here
DESKTOP PROJECT
Show and explain
your web, app or
software projects
using these gadget
templates.
66

69. Thanks!
ANY QUESTIONS?
You can find me at
@username
user@mail.me
67

70. CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
◦ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
◦ Photographs by Unsplash
68

71. This presentations uses the following typographies and colors:
◦ Titles & body copy: Quicksand
You can download the fonts on this page:
https://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/quicksand
◦ Dark gray #2e3037
◦ Aqua #39c0ba
◦ Salmon #f35b69
◦ Blue #6d9eeb
You don’t need to keep this slide in your presentation. It’s only here to serve you as a design guide if you
need to create new slides or download the fonts to edit the presentation in PowerPoint®
PRESENTATION DESIGN
69

72. 70
SlidesCarnival icons are
editable shapes.
This means that you can:
● Resize them without
losing quality.
● Change line color,
width and style.
Isn’t that nice? :)
Examples:

73. Now you can use any emoji as an icon!
And of course it resizes without losing quality and you can change
the color.
How? Follow Google instructions
https://twitter.com/googledocs/status/730087240156643328
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71

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75. Watch the video with slide
synchronization on InfoQ.com!
https://www.infoq.com/presentations/
high-performing-teams-ownership/