Principles for modern knowledge work

Continuous Coordination is the practice of using open, structured communication loops, alongside a set of proven collaboration principles, to give everyone in a digital product or service organization precisely the shared context they need, when they need it, to stay productive, aligned, and engaged.

At its core, knowledge work is about making decisions. From writing code to structuring a marketing campaign to prioritizing a roadmap, knowledge workers need a stream of information — who, what, where, when, and how — to work effectively. But making timely and effective decisions also requires context — the why that drives the work of individuals and the business as a whole.

Most modern tools and processes for structuring work are remarkably good at two things: breaking chunks of knowledge down into small parts and producing metrics. Project management tools turn complex epics into consumable tasks, performance management tools quantify task completion states, and communication and collaboration tools sprinkle it all across your organization’s knowledge footprint through wikis, emails, and chats.

Once knowledge is shredded into bits, contributors and managers alike must constantly assemble context from this ever-growing pile of data to make the hundreds of daily choices their jobs require. This assembly process is overwhelming, sapping everyone of the time and energy they need to do their actual work. Also, teams and people often arrive at different versions of context, driving expensive efforts in multiple directions. The result is an existential crisis to the business: productivity down, poor work quality, and disengaged, burned-out people.

The good news? Thriving teams and organizations have flipped this script by distilling hard earned lessons learned over decades running knowledge work teams and embracing the distributed nature of modern work. They do this through Continuous Coordination — the application of seven core principles for knowledge work.

Each of the principles is powerful on its own, but combined, they are a proven force for achieving and sustaining high levels of productivity, work quality, and meaningful engagement. Even better, the principles are self-reinforcing: the more your organization uses them, the easier they are to apply. To dig in, we recommend reviewing the principles in order, starting with Keep a steady beat.

For more information on implementing the principles, see the 3-step adoption guide.