Your engineers are not ready to pick up outstanding tickets. How would you handle this?

My first step would be to diagnose the underlying issue. I'd investigate whether the tickets lack clarity, if there are skill gaps on the team, if dependencies are blocking progress, or if the team is simply overloaded. To do this, I would engage in one-on-one conversations with team members, observe team dynamics during backlog grooming, and consult with leads and peers. Once the root cause is identified, I would implement targeted solutions, such as clarifying requirements, providing training, unblocking dependencies, or adjusting team capacity.