I participated in a session called “Beyond The Code”, conducted by Omar AL Zabir (Ex-Engineering Manager @ Meta) and Nizam Uddin (CEO @ weDevs), on 8th November 2024.
In that session, Omar shared powerful insights into how engineers work at some of the world’s top tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. He talked about how their engineering environments are structured, what international standards can be applied even in smaller teams or companies, and what qualities are needed to become an effective tech leader.
After the session, I had the opportunity to have a face-to-face discussion with Omar Al Zabir, where I asked him directly about the secrets of building and managing a high-performing production team. His answers were incredibly insightful and helped shape my thinking further.
🎥 Watch the full session here:
One key takeaway that stuck with me was the concept of “Extreme Clarity” — a mindset and practice that ensures absolute clarity in every form of communication. Inspired by that idea, I’ve developed this article to explain what Zero Confusion Policy means and how we can implement it in our teams to build a highly productive engineering culture.
What is the Zero Confusion Policy?
At every stage of software development — whether it’s communication between clients, managers, or developers — we must ensure that the requirements are fully and clearly understood. There should be zero confusion at any level.
We often hear developers say things like:
- “Oh, I thought you meant…”
- “I assumed we were supposed to…”
- “I thought the customer wanted…”
- “Where can I find the xxx document?”
- “What’s the username and password for…?”
- “You need to…”
These kinds of statements are signs of miscommunication. They lead to delays, rework, and frustration. It wastes the client’s money, disrupts the business flow, and demotivates developers. We must eliminate confusion through clear communication, proper documentation, and confirmed understanding at every step.
Here’s how we can apply this principle:
📋 Client Requirements
Our requirement analysis begins with client meetings or by reading project documentation.
Regardless of how we receive the requirements, we must make sure we fully understand what the client is asking for.
Sometimes, a client’s request may not be logically sound or could be solved in a better way. In those cases, discuss your alternative solution with the client and get their confirmation — preferably in written format (via email, Confluence, Jira, etc.).
📝 Never rely on verbal confirmation alone. Always keep a written record.
Ak Smart Questions:
“Is this part of MVP or Phase 2?”
“Can this be changed in the future, or should it be flexible now?”
📘User Story
When writing a user story, make sure it is detailed enough and to the point.
A developer reading the user story should face no difficulty in understanding the requirement.
The Zero Confusion principle applies strongly here as well. We’ll explore how to write these kinds of user stories in detail in our next post.
🧑💻 Developer Meeting
When explaining a task to a developer, take the time to go into detail.
🚫 Don’t assume anything is obvious — even small points should be clearly mentioned.
Spending an extra 30 minutes explaining the task now can save an entire day later.
“A 15-minute miscommunication can cause a 15-hour fix.”
Also, don’t judge the developer’s understanding based on their facial expressions or nodding — sometimes they may act like they understand just to avoid asking questions.
Instead:
- Ask them to repeat back what they understood.
- Encourage them to write a short summary or comment with the task to confirm their understanding.
Again, avoid relying on verbal communication. We easily forget spoken words.
Written communication ensures accountability and traceability.
✅ Task Breakdow
When breaking a user story into smaller tasks:
- Make sure each task doesn’t take more than 3–4 hours.
- Add enough detail in each task, including a clear Definition of Done.
- Confirm that the developer understands what the task involves.
⏱️ Estimation
Estimation is a critical skill in software development. Developers often underestimate the complexity of a task, especially at the beginning. Basic operations may seem straightforward, but many developers struggle to visualize the full scope, identify hidden challenges, or recognize dependencies.
That’s why a task estimated for 20 hours often ends up taking 50. Unfortunately, this has become “normal” in many teams. When a manager asks how many hours are left, the developer might respond with “almost done.” They’re not lying — they genuinely don’t know. This uncertainty comes from a lack of deep understanding of the task and an inability to foresee the technical hurdles.
Accurate estimation is a mindset. It comes from experience, careful analysis, and learning from past mistakes. When you give an estimate to your manager, remember: that number is passed to the client. If your estimation is way off, it reflects poorly on the entire team — not just you.
📆 Daily Scrum
Daily Scrum is another area where communication gaps often occur. Developers know the routine:
- What I did yesterday
- What I plan to do today
- What blockers I’m facing
However, many fail to understand the purpose behind these three lines. The goal is not just status reporting — it’s team alignment.
In an Agile team, every member should be aware of what others are doing. Otherwise, why is everyone attending the daily stand-up?
Imagine this scenario: A group of friends is on a road trip from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar. If the bus driver takes a wrong turn, someone who knows the correct route can speak up — but only if they’re aware of the destination and route. If only the driver knows and makes a mistake, everyone ends up in the wrong place.
Similarly, if developers forget what they committed to yesterday and say something entirely different today, someone — the Scrum Master or a teammate — must point it out. This accountability ensures alignment and reinforces the Zero Confusion Policy.
⭐Client Feedback
Client feedback is one of the most sensitive and challenging areas where the Zero Confusion Policy is vital.
Often, clients don’t have a technical blueprint of what they want — they only know what problem they need solved. This gap between what they want and what they need can lead to misalignment. And this is where confusion breeds.
A developer’s perspective and a client’s perspective are rarely the same. That’s why in Domain-Driven Design (DDD), we use a “ubiquitous language” — a shared vocabulary between domain experts and developers. The Product Manager or Architect must bridge this gap. Never rely on verbal communication alone. Always show something visual — a prototype, wireframe, or MVP — to get clear feedback early.
When clients ask for repeated changes, don’t get frustrated. Try to understand why they’re asking. Maybe they couldn’t articulate it earlier. Maybe they’re still figuring it out. Try to see the problem from their side. After all — they’re paying for the solution.
Cofirm Back (Echo Method):
“So just to confirm, you’re asking for [X], and not [Y], right?”
This habit alone drastically reduces misunderstandings.
The Zero Confusion Policy is not just a principle — it’s a discipline that every high-performing team must adopt. When everyone on the team shares the same understanding, it reduces rework, saves time, and builds trust.
This article is part of an ongoing series. In the next post, we’ll explore how to write clear, detailed user stories that align with the Zero Confusion Policy.
Stay tuned! 🚀
