Teamwork isn't always easy. Priorities change, technology evolves, and humans struggle to work together. That's why checking in with your team regularly is so important. You probably are doing that in your one-on-ones, stand-ups, and retrospectives. But many leaders miss out on the benefits of consistently running a structured Health Check with their teams, and I'm not just talking about your generic HR climate survey. I'm talking about something tailored for software engineering teams. Here are some of the benefits:
1. Spot issues before they blow up
Little problems have a sneaky way of turning into big ones if they are not addressed. Running a Health Check every quarter gives you the chance to catch those small hiccups before they become full-blown disasters. Maybe someone's frustrated with how priorities are set, or there's some confusion about who owns what. Fixing those things early can save you a ton of headaches.
2. Keep up with the pace of change
Things change fast—new projects come in, priorities shift, and the market keeps throwing you curveballs. Your team's dynamics will naturally shift too. A quarterly health check helps you see how well the team's handling all this change and what tweaks you need to make to keep everyone moving in the same direction.
3. Make honest conversations normal
Health Checks help create space for open and honest conversations. When you do them regularly, it shows your team that it's okay to speak up. Over time, this builds trust and makes communication easier. Plus, you'll get insights you might miss in daily interactions.
4. Focus on the right improvements
Finding the space to zoom out as a team and think about what we can do better can be challenging. Health Checks create this space and help you identify the areas that would most benefit from improvement. Then, you can make a plan to fix things and keep getting better as a team. It's all about continuous improvement.
5. Watch for signs of burnout
Burnout is hard to detect. A Health Check can help you spot the early signs and take action before it gets worse. Maybe someone's overwhelmed, or the team's workload needs rebalancing. Whatever it is, catching it early makes a huge difference.
To run a Health Check that actually works:
- Set the tone: Make it clear this isn't about blame or criticism—it's about helping the team thrive.
- Use a framework: Something like the TeamHealthCheck.io platform can give you structure and make sure you're covering all the bases.
- Get input from everyone: Make sure every voice is heard. The quiet ones often have the best insights.
- Look for patterns: Focus on the trends, not just one-off results. Things get really interesting when you do Health Checks regularly and can track progress.
- Follow through: Take the feedback seriously and act on it. Nothing kills trust faster than asking for input and then doing nothing with it.
Running a Health Check with TeamHealthCheck.io (or any other tool) is not a silver bullet. It won't solve your team's problems, but with care, consistency, and follow-through, it can start incredibly helpful and productive conversations to lead to improvement.