LDX3 New York 2026 - Visualizing the Systems That Drive Your Team
Engineering managers often manage what they can see: 1-1s, tickets, code reviews. But the systems that actually determine a team’s effectiveness are often invisible until you learn to visualize them.
In this talk at LDX3 New York City, I shared the visualization techniques I use to better align people and drive decisions forward. A scatter plot exercise across multiple teams that revealed each had a different PR cycle time problem. An investment report that showed support work was quietly consuming far more capacity than anyone realized. A value stream map that showed one team where their work was stuck in review, leading to changes that improved delivery.
In each case, the picture told a story that opinions alone couldn’t and helped us move forward. I walked through each technique: what to look for, how to build the visual, and how to turn what you see into action.
These examples came from different teams and companies, but the principle is the same: understand how the system works and use that information to improve it.
The video for this talk is also available in the LDX3’s website (paywall).
