Blockers

Definition

Obstacles preventing progress on a project, ranging from technical issues to Steve from Accounting who won't approve anything. The scapegoats for why you're behind schedule.

Example Usage

We have three blockers this sprint: unclear requirements, missing credentials, and existential dread.

Origin

Agile software development methodology, early 2000s

Fun Fact

In daily standups, listing your blockers is how you subtly blame others for your lack of progress.

Source: Agile project management terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

pragmatic

The approach favored by people who want to get things done without getting lost in theory or idealism, though in corporate speak it's often code for 'boring but functional.' A pragmatic solution is practical and realistic, which makes it the antithesis of most startup pitch decks. Being pragmatic means choosing Excel over the sexy new tool because, well, Excel actually works.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

lip service

Verbal support for an idea or policy with zero intention of actually implementing it or following through. Corporate theater where agreement is performative rather than actionable.

💼 Corporate / Business

Intermediate

vrin

A strategic analysis framework (Value, Rarity, Inimitability, Non-substitutability) that you were supposed to learn in business school, except your professor got distracted talking about economic moats for a month straight. Now you're staring at the exam wondering why those four weeks of rambling didn't actually teach you how to use the damn thing.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

Onboarding

The process of overwhelming a new employee with 47 hours of training videos, 12 HR forms, and a buddy system where your assigned buddy quit last week. It's like drinking from a fire hose, except the hose is filled with compliance modules.

💼 Corporate / Business👥 Human Resources

Advanced

Bleeding Edge

Technology so new that adopting it will make your budget hemorrhage money while your IT department hemorrhages sanity. It's called bleeding edge because someone is always getting hurt.

💼 Corporate / Business

Beginner

procedures

Formalized, documented step-by-step processes that dictate how tasks should be completed within an organization. They're supposed to ensure consistency and compliance, but often just ensure that simple tasks require seventeen approval signatures. Companies love creating procedures; employees love ignoring the ones that make no sense.

💼 Corporate / Business

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