Longtime manager of technical people here and can confirm the "oh yeah one more thing" is where so much of the really good stuff comes up.
No matter how explicitly you state it, ask for it, overcommunicate that you're approachable even if seemingly busy... people are averse to the impression that they're interrupting their management even when they have something important to discuss. When you create the space and have even that quick 10 to 15 minute chat every couple of weeks, you're creating space for your people to have your attention without worrying about getting your attention. And people often take advantage of that path of least resistance.
So many of the most important conversations to have with the team are less about their output and more about things they've got going on or need to know _despite_ their output. All the standard sprint metrics are just one piece of the puzzle.
No matter how explicitly you state it, ask for it, overcommunicate that you're approachable even if seemingly busy... people are averse to the impression that they're interrupting their management even when they have something important to discuss. When you create the space and have even that quick 10 to 15 minute chat every couple of weeks, you're creating space for your people to have your attention without worrying about getting your attention. And people often take advantage of that path of least resistance.
So many of the most important conversations to have with the team are less about their output and more about things they've got going on or need to know _despite_ their output. All the standard sprint metrics are just one piece of the puzzle.