Transforming Your Company Culture

At this point, I hope that you can see how feature flags make engineering work safer and more effective. In fact, I hope that you're downright eager to start using feature flags as soon as possible! And, I'm confident that once you start, your whole perspective on product development will be forever changed.

But, the technical benefits of feature flags are only the beginning. If you have customers or work on a team with other engineers, managers, and designers, there's much more value to be had.

The rest of this book deals with the inter-personal aspects of feature flags. And, I do not exaggerate when I say that feature flags can fundamentally change your company culture and the way your team operates. But, this change isn't easy; and it won't happen unless you step up and make it happen.

When you reduce feature flags down to the fundamentals, they're a simple concept powered by simple mechanics. But, these simple mechanics allow you to work small, build incrementally, and conditionally expose parts of your product. This, alone, is enough to open up a whole new world of opportunity and let you to ask the question, "What if?"

• What if I could get better feedback about my work?

• What if I could make it easier for developers to demonstrate value?

• What if I could make it OK to experiment and take risks?

• What if I could cultivate a strong connection to the product?

• What if I could foster a strong sense of inclusion and belonging for both my team and my customers?

• What if I could create more psychological safety for my team?

• What if I could unblock my team and increase developer throughput?

• What if I could increase agility and allow my team to meet emergent problems with optimistic enthusiasm?

• What if I could make it easier for my organization to work together and manage expectations?

• What if my day was driven by a sense of hope and purpose and not ruled by the fear of failure and judgement?

It's hard to believe that feature flags open up these lines of inquiry—after all, they're just dynamic if statements. But, these if statements have the power to transcend application code if you're willing to put in the work.

In the following chapters, I have three goals. First, I'm granting you permission to do the hard work that is needed to bring about change. Every culture has momentum and is resistant to change. Which means, any attempt to build a better organization will almost certainly be met with fear and opposition. Do not let this dissuade you from doing the right thing.

Second, I'm trying to outline tactical ways in which you can push your company culture in the right direction. This includes interactions with your team and with your customers.

Third, I'm trying to demonstrate why changing your approach to product development is ultimately a value-add for you, your team, your product, and your customers.

Feature flags are not a magic bullet—they won't automatically transform your company or your development methodologies. But, the opportunity is there—I promise you. And I hope that the rest of this book helps you find a path forward that works well for you and your company.

Have questions? Let's discuss this chapter: https://bennadel.com/go/4558