Some say test-driven development may work well initially, but as soon as we start to refactor our code, it breaks old tests and requires us to write new ones. This is not the fault of TDD; it’s the way we’re using it. TDD remains a valuable way to verify code as we write it, so we need to repair our test-driven damage.

With all the chatter going on in offices, people often turn to headphones to block out the noise and be able to concentrate. Noise-canceling headphones block out distractions, but they can also block out communication. It may be a good idea to set some boundaries for their use so employees can still collaborate.

For decades brainstorming has been our go-to method for ideation, yet it holds back our success when the environment doesn't encourage everyone to contribute. Instead, try brainwriting—writing ideas on paper and letting teammates iterate on them. It improves not only the quantity of ideas you get, but also the quality.