This works really well in mechanical engineering, too. We don’t necessarily use tickets specifically, but planning out work or a design upfront with a small audience saves a lot of time and wasted effort.

On some level this is just basic project planning, which in my view is an underdeveloped skill in most modern engineering teams. In the case of the ‘empty ticket’, it’s project planning but at a lower level. Not every bit of work needs this, but many would benefit, especially when the taskee is at a more junior level.

I wholeheartedly support this approach. Nearly every major project requires a team, not an individual, and coordinating and collaborating are basic functions of getting things done.