C — Certainty
Predictability of the future. In IT — scope changes, re-orgs, moved deadlines, deprecation announcements — ambiguity is the star threat.
- Understand why „we don't know yet” is worse than „we know it's bad”
- Communicate scope changes and moved deadlines without panic
- Use „timeline for clarifications” as a substitute for „answer now”
The brain doesn't tolerate informational vacuum. If you don't give it context, it invents one — usually pessimistic. That's why an unclear re-org announcement generates weeks of rumors and dropped velocity, even if nobody will be fired. And why „we'll see” in planning triggers 15 Slack messages.
How Certainty shows up in IT
In software teams, Certainty lives in: roadmaps (visible or hidden), definition of done, sprint scope, deprecation policies, incident messages, meetings with unclear agendas. Two most sensitive moments: when introducing a process change, and when answering „we don't know yet” to something critical for someone.
What activates Certainty (toward)
- Visible roadmaps, even with clearly-marked „TBD” entries.
- Regular ritualized updates: weekly recap, sprint review, retro with clear actions.
- Public definitions: what's „done”, what's „in scope”, the „bug vs feature” criterion.
- Saying „I don't know, but I'll find out by Thursday 5pm” — much better than „I don't know”.
- Change announcements with structure: what, why, when, how we'll know it worked.
What threatens Certainty (away)
- Ambiguous announcements („teams are changing, details soon”) — especially Friday evening.
- Calendar invites without agendas, just a vague „check-in” title.
- Evasive answers: „we'll see”, „it depends”, „I'll tell you later”.
- Inconsistency without explanation: last week we said X, today it's Y, with no „why”.
- Mid-sprint scope changes without clarity on what gets dropped.
- Deprecation policy „by Dec 31” without a defined migration process.
How an opaque announcement feels
Read the scenario. Mark how you feel each SCARF dimension is hit: threat / neutral / reward. Then see the analysis.
Redesign: scope change announcement
You need to tell the team that current sprint scope is reducing — something that was „in” is now out. Below is how it was originally written. Rewrite to give maximum Certainty with the info you have.
Write your version. Then see a hint and a suggested rewrite.
When did your team panic?
Recall: the last time your team went „panic mode” because of bad communication. What was said, or not said? What kind of Certainty was missing?
Describe the moment. Then: what single extra sentence would have been enough to avoid panic?
- You, in that moment, had the power to add that sentence? If not, who did?
- This week, do you have an announcement to make to someone? Apply the checklist: what / why / when / next clarity point.
The team finds out through the grapevine that there's a reorg. You, as a BA, what do you do first?