5 exercises — assigning actions, confirming decisions, and tracking ownership in sprint planning and design reviews.
Key patterns:
Can you own [task]? — assigns accountability directly
Let's agree to [decision] — formalises group consensus
Let's capture that — ensures an item is recorded and followed up
To confirm the actions: — closing summary of agreed next steps
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
A sprint planning meeting has just identified a task. Which phrase most clearly assigns ownership?
"Can you own [task]?" is a direct, professional action-assignment phrase in technical meetings. Own in this context means to be the accountable person responsible for driving the task to completion. Following it with a concrete next step ("I'll add it to the board") confirms the assignment is captured. Options A, C, and D leave ownership unclear, which in a sprint context means the task will likely remain undone. Related patterns: "I'll take that action", "who's driving this?", "let's assign this to..."
2 / 5
A design review is ending and the facilitator wants to confirm an agreed decision. Which sentence captures the agreement most clearly?
"Let's agree to [decision]" is the standard meeting phrase for formalising a group decision. Naming the next action ("capture it as ADR-015") ensures the decision is documented and traceable. This phrase is an invitation to confirm consensus while simultaneously creating a clear record. Options A, C, and D all hedge the decision so much that no clear agreement is established. Related patterns: "so we're agreed that...", "the decision is...", "let's capture that as an action".
3 / 5
During a retrospective, an important point comes up that isn't on the agenda. Which phrase best suggests capturing it for follow-up?
"Let's capture that" is a meeting action phrase for ensuring an idea or issue is recorded rather than lost. The parking lot is a standard Agile and facilitation technique for off-agenda items. Combining the capture phrase with a concrete follow-up ("schedule a focused discussion") prevents the item from being captured and then forgotten. Options A, C, and D either dismiss the point or leave no concrete next step. Related patterns: "I'll note that as a follow-up", "let's park that for now", "I'll add that to the action list".
4 / 5
A sprint planning meeting is losing focus on who is responsible for testing. Which question most effectively clarifies ownership?
"Who's driving [task/effort]?" is a direct, professional question for identifying the person accountable for moving an effort forward. Driving in this context means taking initiative and coordinating — not necessarily doing all the work personally. This phrasing is more assertive than "who will do it?" because it seeks a driver, not just an executor. Option C hedges the request so much it is unlikely to produce a clear answer. Option D assigns ownership to no one. Related patterns: "who's the point person on this?", "can you take the lead on testing?"
5 / 5
At the end of a 1-on-1 meeting, the manager wants to confirm what the engineer will do before the next meeting. Which sentence is most effective?
"To confirm the actions:" is a closing action-summary phrase. It explicitly reviews what was agreed, names the specific tasks, names the deliverables, and includes a deadline. This prevents ambiguity about what was discussed versus what was formally agreed. Including specific identifiers (PR-341) and a concrete deadline (by Thursday) makes the action trackable. Options A, C, and D are all too vague or uncertain to constitute a clear agreement. Related patterns: "so the agreed actions are...", "to summarise what we've agreed:"