1. People. This is where you start. None of it works without the folks around you. Your whole job is about bringing everyone along for the ride. You're can't do this alone.
2. Ownership. Someone needs to own it. Who's actually responsible for accessibility in the team? Make sure it's baked into how your team works.
3. Foundations. Get clear on the essentials everyone needs to know. What's the bare minimum to keep your team from creating problems you'll have to fix later? Separate things per role. Different roles need to be aware of, and responsible for, different things.
4. Documentation. Write things down. Create guidelines, document decisions, build a knowledge base. When someone asks "why did we do it this way?" six months from now, you'll be glad you did. Plus, it helps new people get up to speed way faster.
5. Tools. Automated tools are your friends. Get them into your workflow as early as you can. Trying to do everything manually is a recipe for burnout, and frankly, it's just not sustainable.
6. Impact. You can't fix everything at once, and honestly you shouldn't even try. Find the stuff that'll make the biggest difference with the least amount of headache. If you see a broken process that's slowing everyone down or one specific issue that keeps popping up, start there.
7. Visibility. If the stakeholders aren't on board yet, focus on the things they'll actually notice. Speak their language. Figure out what keeps them up at night and show them how you're addressing it. Make your work impossible to ignore.
8. Feedback. Don't wait until after you ship to hear from real users. Build everything with regular check-ins with people who actually rely on accessibility. Their lived experience will teach you things no audit ever could.
9. Momentum. Accessibility work is hard work. So when something goes right, no matter how small, take a moment to acknowledge it. Those little victories add up.
10. Sustainability. This isn't a one-and-done project. Think about what happens after you leave or when priorities shift. Build something that can keep going without you having to fight for it every single quarter.