Author: Jessica Fergus

I am passionate about problem solving and process improvement. I started this project as a community space for others with the same hunger for learning and optimization.

Leading Through Change

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

This play is for any leader who wants to help their team through change or may be just a guide for yourself. Either way, there are many possibilities on how to navigate change this is just a starting point on your journey as change is inevitable and constant. 

PEOPLE

2+ depending on the size of the team.

TIME

30-60 minutes per activity. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can improve leadership skills and master this play!

 

PREP WORK

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Leader: Likely this is you! In football this is the coach.  Good leadership is about acquiring and honing specific skills. Leadership skills enable you to be a role model for a team in any environment. Some of the skills needed:

  • A positive attitude.
  • Confidence.
  • A sense of humor.
  • Ability to embrace failure.
  • Careful listening and feedback.
  • Knowing how and when to delegate.
  • Growth mindset.
  • Responsibility.
  • A desire to learn.

 Team Players: This is someone who actively contributes to the team in order to complete tasks, meet goals or achieve outcomes and results. Every organization relies on good teams. Skills needed:

  • Communicate effectively.
  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

SHOW THAT YOU CARE

Being a good leader means caring about the people you’re leading. Of course, caring about your people seems so obvious. Every leader must communicate that they care about their people. But caring is about actions, not just words. Here are some ways to show that you care:

  • Get personal. This means taking an interest in your team beyond an employee ID and knowing basic information. This can be uncomfortable for some and may be a stretch, but to inspire someone must mean that you know and understand them. Start with one-on-one conversations. It is crucial to create a safe space in one-on-one meetings. Beyond covering work updates and small talk, aim to learn about the person. Assure them that the conversation is confidential and will not be shared without permission. No matter what is discussed or mentioned do not get defensive, angry, or dismissive. This is not a debate, you are there to understand. As a leader and manager, team member safety is your responsibility and your prime directive.
  • Connect the dots. The team needs to know how their work contributes to the larger goal. Take time to understand the day to day work of your team. A regular team strategy meeting is an opportunity for alignment between the team and the organizational goals. Review individual contributions with the team and opportunities within the goals of the organization to be part of the winning team. Listen to their ideas and implement them in a timely manner. Learn from them and when something works, give them credit with the larger organization. This also will demonstrate to the team that you care about their success as well as the organization.
  • Measure what matters. Different organizations will have different definitions of what matters. For most teams, it is more meaningful to measure achievements rather than actions, although harder to measure. It is easier to count how often someone performs a function, but if that activity doesn’t result in a valuable outcome, why count it at all? OKRs (Objective & Key Results) are a framework that measure results and how that aligns to bigger objectives. Start small with this framework and after success, grow to include larger organizational goals.
BUILD PEOPLE UP

The key to this is being authentic and trustworthy. Without those two characteristics no amount of build up will inspire the team. In fact, it will have the opposite effect and the team will question your motives. Whether you’re on-boarding entry-level hires or working with a long-standing team, here are ways that managers of all experience levels can develop a strong, cohesive team.

  • Ensure that each person truly understands their role. This goes beyond a job description and a training manual. This is the understanding of the functions of that role and how they contribute to the goals of the organization.
  • Provide training and development tools. Create a learning culture on the team. Constantly feed the curiosity of the person with challenging problems and empower them to learn the solution without being told it. Coach from the sideline and resist the temptation to get out on the field yourself. Inspire them to learn the skills for mastery of their role.
  • Game plan for their growth. See the next step in their career path. Work yourself out of a job and prepare your team to step into your role. This may seem counterproductive to team building, however, it demonstrates to the team that you see potential in them. You believe in their ability to do more. Review their career development plan regularly and celebrate progress along the way. Development is a continual process and, if done across the organization, it ensures a steady flow of leaders moving up through the organization.
LISTEN WITH EMPATHY

Emphatic listening is a skill that can be learned and practiced and is key to great leadership and effective communication skills. It is easy to hear things or passively listen while multitasking. It is difficult to really listen with empathy. Empathic listening is essential to your success as a leader. Regardless of the industry you work in, empathic listening is a great skill to improve. Here are some way to improve your listening skills:

  • Find areas of common interests by creating a positive attitude to the topic. This is the time for common ground, do not take the stage to talk about how you also had a similar story. Instead acknowledge their unique perspective and build on shared interest.
  • Take the initiative to find out what the speaker knows. Seek to understand. Ask open ended questions and inquire about topics you don’t know yourself. Continue to find out more without taking the conversation to what you know on the subject.
  • Avoid judging or jumping to solutions early and keep a neutral mind set. Leaders are great problem solvers, but empathetic listening requires you to resist solutioning or drifting off to problem solve while the person is talking. Keep yourself focused on fully listening to the person.
  • Focus on the speaker’s ideas and keep an open mind. Go into the situation with the possibility that you may not know the outcome of the conversation. This mindset will help you keep focused on the speaker instead of waiting for a time to talk yourself.
  • Be curious about other people and their position and their ideas, even if it is contrary to your position. Express your curiosity and create a safe space for discussion of topics that may differ from your own point of view. This shows that you understand the other’s perspective on the topic.
TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT

“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

When employees feel genuinely respected by their boss, they are more likely to work hard, stay loyal and go the extra mile when the going gets rough. They’re also going to be more respectful to others, including their bosses, colleagues and customers. However you can’t just say you are respectful, you must show it. Here are ways a leader can demonstrate respect:

  • Welcome all opinions, ideas and feedback. This is just as important for those ones you don’t agree with as the ones you do. This means pulling everyone into the conversation whether or not they speak up.
  • Be curious and compassionate. Stay curious, even when you think you understand the situation or answer. Don’t assume you know how it feels, ask and be compassionate to their point of view.
  • Be present and attentive. Put your phone down, close your computer screen, set Do Not Disturb status on. Whatever it takes to remove distractions so that you can be fully present during time with your team.
  • Trust your team. Show them that you trust them. Give them assignments that demonstrate it. Don’t hoover or micro-manage them. Create safe space for them to fail and support them in trying again. Take of the training wheels, and see them sore.
  • Make your word gold. If you say it, mean it. Don’t promise things you cannot deliver, don’t be wishy on commitment, and be accountable when you make a mistake. Own up to it, and give your word to do your best to do better. 
SHOWCASE THEIR STRENGTHS

Great leaders rarely take credit for their successes.

Instead, they pay homage to their colleagues and employees. Humility is a sign of a great leader, and great leaders know that true professionals are driven by a pride of workmanship. For many American professionals, receiving acknowledgment and credit for good work oftentimes supersedes any form of monetary reward or elevation in status. Here are some ways to showcase the team:

  • Let the team present their work in senior leadership or executive meetings. Rehearse with them ahead of the meeting so they feel comfortable presenting. Set expectations with the meeting audience and the team. Don’t hesitate to frame it as a learning experience.
  • A team or department newsletter showcasing recent accomplishments by the team. Make sure the team member authors a summary of the work that should be included in the announcement.
  • Demo day! Each team member gives a brief overview demonstration of recently completed work. It is critical that the presenter is the creator, as this showcases their work.

 

Want to learn more about making your meetings a safe space for honest conversation? Check out this article by HBR.

More information about one-on-one meetings? This do’s and don’ts article is a great resource. 

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

04

NEXT STEPS

Continue to work on the skills and activities that inspire teams. Celebrate the wins and recognize the team for learning with you on how to improve.

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Agile, Waterfall or Hybrid

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

When it comes to project management one thing you need to decide first is which methodology to use; Waterfall, Agile or Hybrid?  

The one you will select will depend on a lot of things about your project. Until recently the decision was largely between Waterfall or Agile, but a new framework has hit the streets and Hybrid may be the future of project management.

Here’s a breakdown of waterfall, agile and hybrid and why many organizations are using the latter.

PEOPLE

2-3 depending if you are just facilitating or the project manager on the project. 

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can facilitate a successful meeting!

 

PREP WORK

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all
  • Organized and prepared to run play

Sponsor: This must be someone who has skin in the game. In sports this would be the team owner, someone who has an investment in seeing the team win. In business this is typically a project sponsor or product owner who charters the project. Skills needed:

  • Authority to fund the project and team
  • Engaged in outcomes and supporting the team
  • Biggest supporter in the stands

Project Manager: Project managers play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing projects. They are accountable for the entire project scope, project team, resources, and the success or failure of the project. Effective project managers need more than technical know-how. The role also requires a number of non-technical skills, and it is these softer skills that often determine whether a project manager — and the project — will be a success. Skills needed:

  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Scheduling
  • Risk Management
  • Cost Management
  • Negotiating
  • Critical Thinking
  • Task Management
  • Quality Management
  • Sense of Humor
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

The Great Debate

If you want to have a lively debate ask in a meeting, “What is Agile, Waterfall or Hybrid framework?”. Depending on who you ask you will get answers from a way to sequence work to a full doctorial thesis around the process of operation, business philosophy and a mindset. This play does not aim to answer the question around which is better and why, rather inform you on which to use given your situation and desired outcome.

Let’s start with a shared understanding of each in this context of being a tool you can use. 

Waterfall

I know exactly what I want. This is the tool most often used in projects that are contracted initiatives or projects that are repeatable with very little change.  Waterfall says we define everything upfront, and then sequentially deliver on that. It is often referred to as “traditional” project management, because this was the go-to for many projects in business pre-2000’s. 

Let’s say you are going to go to the dealership and purchase a new car that will cost at least $50k depending on features you select. So you pick out every feature from the seat color to options like cameras and smart driver features. You put your order in and wait for the car to be delivered. This is a perfect waterfall project! You know exactly what you want and you expect it to be as you required. 

Waterfall framework is best for:

  • When the requirements are very well known, clear and fixed.
  • Product definition is stable.
  • Technology is understood.
  • There are no ambiguous requirements.
  • Ample resources with required expertise are available freely.
  • The project is short.

Agile

I am unsure of what it is I want and willing to adapt as we go. Meet Agile and it’s fan club. Purest practice the principles in everything they do. Agile is a mindset and there are several practices from it; like the very popular Scrum framework. Agile is about short iterations and pivot. The Agile manifesto provided goals around what agile practices should achieve.  Agile has reached celebrity status in the world of project management since the early 2000s and is the tool of choice for most software projects. 

Have you ever tried to plan a vacation to a place that you have never been? You may compile a list of highly rated restaurants, top tourist attractions and some dive bars that are the chatter of travel forums. If you were to use an Agile approach, you would not create a day-by-day itinerary or even book your hotel room. You wait until you land at the airport and do a survey of the place. You find a local who can help you get the best hotel and negotiate it with the front desk based on what you decide you need. You wake up in the morning and select your activities based on your list of possibilities. Then that evening over dinner, you reflect on the day and decide if you should change for tomorrow. Maybe you change hotels, restaurants or even locations. That is Agile! 

Agile framework is best for:

  • When product requirements are uncertain.
  • When the client or customer will be available and willing to partake in close collaboration throughout the entirety of the project.
  • If  the success of your project will be defined by how well the team has satisfied and actively responded to the customer’s developing needs throughout the project’s lifespan.
  • When the deliverables of your project can be reasonably distributed in work packets achievable within short time periods of about two to four-weeks.
  • If your project involves iterative, or cyclical, processes in which incremental results will add value for your project by continuously providing new guidance for your project.

Hybrid

We know what we want but need some flexibility on it. This is what most organizations use even if they say they are Agile, as it is difficult to be purely one or the other in the real world. The Hybrid approach, as the name implies, is a combination of the Waterfall and Agile methodologies in a flexible yet structured approach that can be used across different projects. The Hybrid methodology focuses on gathering and analyzing requirements initially – a nod to the Waterfall method. From thereon, it takes the flexibility of Agile approach with an emphasis on rapid iterations. By combining attributes of Waterfall and Agile, the Hybrid method (sometimes called “Structured Agile”) gives us the best of both worlds.  

Hybrid landscaping is gathering a list of plants you need to buy, going to the store, loading them in the truck and then once you get home assessing the situation. You take all the plants in their containers and set them up in the garden how you thought you wanted them. Then you call over your neighbor and ask their opinion. They suggest different placement and grouping. You make the adjustments and agree it looks better. Then you dig the holes and place the plants. You might go back to the store and get some different plants for the backyard garden, and you repeat the process. You might even do it one more time for the front sidewalk area. That is a hybrid approach. 

Hybrid is best suited for aspects of Waterfall and Agile projects in addition to large, complex projects that require that you:

Waterfall vs Agile

Simplified, waterfall and agile are the same process, just differ on timing. The biggest difference is when the risk is realized. In waterfall you wait until the end to find out if it is good or not, whereas with agile you get this information more quickly at the end of each iteration. 

This is why if your requirements are vague, changing or unknown the solution to managing that risk is agile. It is very costly to find out what the requirements are at the end of a project, this is why waterfall is most often used with contract projects. There is a written agreement on the requirements at the beginning of the project.

 

Hybrid is the Future

Hybrid project management (also called structured Agile) works for every kind of project and every type of team.

Blending Agile and Waterfall makes it easier to adapt throughout your project. Your team works more efficiently, and the outcome is better than it would be if you used just Agile or Waterfall alone.

Hybrid works the way projects are actually run.

Being able to apply Agile to uncertain aspects and Waterfall to fixed deliverables means having a flexible project that’s better built for success.

The beauty of the hybrid project management method is that it lets the team plan before starting to work on the project, but also divides the development cycle into short-term deliveries called sprints. This phase gate approach at the beginning delivers all the benefits of traditional waterfall frameworks, yet the circular iterative implementation approach facilitates the flexibility of Agile. 


Overall project responsibility is given to a Project Manager using WBS methodology whereas the sprints are run by Scrum Masters. The PM also assumes the role of the product manager, and is considered the business owner of the project. They are mainly concerned with the front end of the project flow, including requirements, customer feedback, components definition and WBS, while Scrum Masters have a hold on the back end, managing backlogs, sprints and releases. The project manager gathers the scrum masters, who in return form their own teams.

Decide on a Framework

Okay so now it’s time to decide. This should be a decision made before the project kick-off meeting so that the team has a clear understanding of what to expect for the project.

Consider:

  • Do you have a clear picture, scope and little stakeholder influence? Waterfall is the way to go.
  • If you don’t want to set anything in stone in the beginning? Agile ensures you can switch it up at any time.
  • Do you want the best of both worlds? Hybrid is your friend.

But to put it simply; there is no option that fits all especially when it comes to your skill set. So know your options, be prepared for projects, set the time frame and ask yourself plenty of questions!

Here are just a few that might help:

  • What is the context of the project?
  • Is it set in stone or rather vague?
  • Will external stakeholders have an impact?
  • Do you have the skill set in your team?
  • What’s the time frame?

Make sure you are on the same page with the Project Sponsor and set-up a quick meeting to review and brainstorm together. 

 

Want to learn more about what is a Scrum Master? Check this article from Scrum.org

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

04

NEXT STEPS

Phew! The hard part is done! You might be tempted to go further and discuss further details of the project – but don’t! Instead thank the Sponsor for a very successful and productive meeting!

 

Schedule the next meeting where the team will to officially Kick-off the project.  

Publish your notes in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going! 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Sponsor Interview

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

The Sponsor Interview is the first step in a successful project! This is where you will get to know the Sponsor and understand their vision, business case and objective for the project. Even if you have worked with the Sponsor before, this sit down conversation will be well worth the time.  

PEOPLE

2-3 depending if you are just facilitating or the project manager on the project. 

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can facilitate a successful interview meeting!

 

PREP WORK

PEOPLE

Everyone does better when they are prepared. If you want to put everyone at ease, send them the list of questions ahead of the meeting. This way nothing is a shock and you may save time if answers are prepared ahead of the meeting – for the win!

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all
  • Organized and prepared to run play

Sponsor: This must be someone who has skin in the game. In sports this would be the team owner, someone who has an investment in seeing the team win. In business this is typically a project sponsor or product owner who charters the project. Skills needed:

  • Authority to fund the project and team
  • Engaged in outcomes and supporting the team
  • Biggest supporter in the stands

Project Manager: Project managers play the lead role in planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing projects. They are accountable for the entire project scope, project team, resources, and the success or failure of the project. Effective project managers need more than technical know-how. The role also requires a number of non-technical skills, and it is these softer skills that often determine whether a project manager — and the project — will be a success. Skills needed:

  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Scheduling
  • Risk Management
  • Cost Management
  • Negotiating
  • Critical Thinking
  • Task Management
  • Quality Management
  • Sense of Humor
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

INTRODUCTION

They say first impressions are everything – and they are correct! Show up a little early and be prepared. Remember this Sponsor is likely very busy and this meeting is critical for your success on this project. Good form is:

  • Thank the Sponsor for their time and commitment to the project
  • Make introductions if any participant does not know the other – including yourself!  Start by introducing yourself, and your role on the team:
    • Who you are in the organization and how long you have been in this role
    • What specialty skills/knowledge you bring to the group
    • Why you are interested in this project 
  • Provide contact information and preferred method of contact (to save time this can be done ahead of the meeting) 

Remember this is about setting the tone for the project. Create a positive energy and vibe.

THE INTERVIEW

The point of this is to really understand the project and objective. There are lots of ways to do this but guided questions are one of the easiest. Take the list below and customize it for your organization or industry. If you omit a question, ask yourself why was it on the list and are you getting that information a different way? Here is the list:

  • What is the problem you are trying to solve?
  • What has already been tried to solve the problem?
  • What do you see as the high level objective?
  • What are the most important decisions that need to be made?
  • What will prevent us from making those decisions?
  • Is anything already in play?
  • What are the constraints and assumptions?
  • What is deliberately out of scope, and why?
  • What internal and external dependencies should we be aware of?
  • Who needs to be involved?
  • What are the project’s success criteria?
SHARED UNDERSTANDING

Now that you have covered all the major aspects of the project it’s time to make sure you are on the same page. This is critical and should be repeated often during the project. No need to read back the answers, but do review together and make sure you don’t have any questions. Here is some shared understanding questions:

  • To be sure I have a similar understanding of the problem statement, would you agree it can be summarized as _________________ (single statement)?
  • I understand that you want to get the following out of the project ______________________ (objective).
  • I think I understand the other aspects of the project, however, I would like to clarify my understanding of _____________________ (any questions you have).

Want some tips on how to create a great first impression? Check this article from mindtools.com

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

04

NEXT STEPS

Phew! The hard part is done! You might be tempted to go further and discuss further details of the project – but don’t! Instead thank the Sponsor for a very successful and productive meeting!

 

Schedule the next meeting where the team will to officially Kick-off the project.  

Publish your notes in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going! 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Inspire Your Team

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

This play has been created based on the works of Lolly Daskal who posted the following on LinkedIn 

 

HOW TO INSPIRE YOUR TEAM:
Show that you care
Build people up
Listen with empathy
Treat people with respect
Showcase their strengths
~@LollyDaskal 

This is something that leaders must constantly work towards and continue to find new ways to inspire. The following activities are a starting place to learn the play but it will be on each leader to expand further application.  

PEOPLE

2+ depending on the size of the team.

TIME

30-60 minutes per activity. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can improve leadership skills and master this play!

 

PREP WORK

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Leader: Likely this is you! In football this is the coach.  Good leadership is about acquiring and honing specific skills. Leadership skills enable you to be a role model for a team in any environment. Some of the skills needed:

  • A positive attitude.
  • Confidence.
  • A sense of humor.
  • Ability to embrace failure.
  • Careful listening and feedback.
  • Knowing how and when to delegate.
  • Growth mindset.
  • Responsibility.
  • A desire to learn.

 Team Players: This is someone who actively contributes to the team in order to complete tasks, meet goals or achieve outcomes and results. Every organization relies on good teams. Skills needed:

  • Communicate effectively.
  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

SHOW THAT YOU CARE

Being a good leader means caring about the people you’re leading. Of course, caring about your people seems so obvious. Every leader must communicate that they care about their people. But caring is about actions, not just words. Here are some ways to show that you care:

  • Get personal. This means taking an interest in your team beyond an employee ID and knowing basic information. This can be uncomfortable for some and may be a stretch, but to inspire someone must mean that you know and understand them. Start with one-on-one conversations. It is crucial to create a safe space in one-on-one meetings. Beyond covering work updates and small talk, aim to learn about the person. Assure them that the conversation is confidential and will not be shared without permission. No matter what is discussed or mentioned do not get defensive, angry, or dismissive. This is not a debate, you are there to understand. As a leader and manager, team member safety is your responsibility and your prime directive.
  • Connect the dots. The team needs to know how their work contributes to the larger goal. Take time to understand the day to day work of your team. A regular team strategy meeting is an opportunity for alignment between the team and the organizational goals. Review individual contributions with the team and opportunities within the goals of the organization to be part of the winning team. Listen to their ideas and implement them in a timely manner. Learn from them and when something works, give them credit with the larger organization. This also will demonstrate to the team that you care about their success as well as the organization.
  • Measure what matters. Different organizations will have different definitions of what matters. For most teams, it is more meaningful to measure achievements rather than actions, although harder to measure. It is easier to count how often someone performs a function, but if that activity doesn’t result in a valuable outcome, why count it at all? OKRs (Objective & Key Results) are a framework that measure results and how that aligns to bigger objectives. Start small with this framework and after success, grow to include larger organizational goals.
BUILD PEOPLE UP

The key to this is being authentic and trustworthy. Without those two characteristics no amount of build up will inspire the team. In fact, it will have the opposite effect and the team will question your motives. Whether you’re on-boarding entry-level hires or working with a long-standing team, here are ways that managers of all experience levels can develop a strong, cohesive team.

  • Ensure that each person truly understands their role. This goes beyond a job description and a training manual. This is the understanding of the functions of that role and how they contribute to the goals of the organization.
  • Provide training and development tools. Create a learning culture on the team. Constantly feed the curiosity of the person with challenging problems and empower them to learn the solution without being told it. Coach from the sideline and resist the temptation to get out on the field yourself. Inspire them to learn the skills for mastery of their role.
  • Game plan for their growth. See the next step in their career path. Work yourself out of a job and prepare your team to step into your role. This may seem counterproductive to team building, however, it demonstrates to the team that you see potential in them. You believe in their ability to do more. Review their career development plan regularly and celebrate progress along the way. Development is a continual process and, if done across the organization, it ensures a steady flow of leaders moving up through the organization.
LISTEN WITH EMPATHY

Emphatic listening is a skill that can be learned and practiced and is key to great leadership and effective communication skills. It is easy to hear things or passively listen while multitasking. It is difficult to really listen with empathy. Empathic listening is essential to your success as a leader. Regardless of the industry you work in, empathic listening is a great skill to improve. Here are some way to improve your listening skills:

  • Find areas of common interests by creating a positive attitude to the topic. This is the time for common ground, do not take the stage to talk about how you also had a similar story. Instead acknowledge their unique perspective and build on shared interest.
  • Take the initiative to find out what the speaker knows. Seek to understand. Ask open ended questions and inquire about topics you don’t know yourself. Continue to find out more without taking the conversation to what you know on the subject.
  • Avoid judging or jumping to solutions early and keep a neutral mind set. Leaders are great problem solvers, but empathetic listening requires you to resist solutioning or drifting off to problem solve while the person is talking. Keep yourself focused on fully listening to the person.
  • Focus on the speaker’s ideas and keep an open mind. Go into the situation with the possibility that you may not know the outcome of the conversation. This mindset will help you keep focused on the speaker instead of waiting for a time to talk yourself.
  • Be curious about other people and their position and their ideas, even if it is contrary to your position. Express your curiosity and create a safe space for discussion of topics that may differ from your own point of view. This shows that you understand the other’s perspective on the topic.
TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT

“Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

When employees feel genuinely respected by their boss, they are more likely to work hard, stay loyal and go the extra mile when the going gets rough. They’re also going to be more respectful to others, including their bosses, colleagues and customers. However you can’t just say you are respectful, you must show it. Here are ways a leader can demonstrate respect:

  • Welcome all opinions, ideas and feedback. This is just as important for those ones you don’t agree with as the ones you do. This means pulling everyone into the conversation whether or not they speak up.
  • Be curious and compassionate. Stay curious, even when you think you understand the situation or answer. Don’t assume you know how it feels, ask and be compassionate to their point of view.
  • Be present and attentive. Put your phone down, close your computer screen, set Do Not Disturb status on. Whatever it takes to remove distractions so that you can be fully present during time with your team.
  • Trust your team. Show them that you trust them. Give them assignments that demonstrate it. Don’t hoover or micro-manage them. Create safe space for them to fail and support them in trying again. Take of the training wheels, and see them sore.
  • Make your word gold. If you say it, mean it. Don’t promise things you cannot deliver, don’t be wishy on commitment, and be accountable when you make a mistake. Own up to it, and give your word to do your best to do better. 
SHOWCASE THEIR STRENGTHS

Great leaders rarely take credit for their successes.

Instead, they pay homage to their colleagues and employees. Humility is a sign of a great leader, and great leaders know that true professionals are driven by a pride of workmanship. For many American professionals, receiving acknowledgment and credit for good work oftentimes supersedes any form of monetary reward or elevation in status. Here are some ways to showcase the team:

  • Let the team present their work in senior leadership or executive meetings. Rehearse with them ahead of the meeting so they feel comfortable presenting. Set expectations with the meeting audience and the team. Don’t hesitate to frame it as a learning experience.
  • A team or department newsletter showcasing recent accomplishments by the team. Make sure the team member authors a summary of the work that should be included in the announcement.
  • Demo day! Each team member gives a brief overview demonstration of recently completed work. It is critical that the presenter is the creator, as this showcases their work.

 

Want to learn more about making your meetings a safe space for honest conversation? Check out this article by HBR.

More information about one-on-one meetings? This do’s and don’ts article is a great resource. 

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

04

NEXT STEPS

Continue to work on the skills and activities that inspire teams. Celebrate the wins and recognize the team for learning with you on how to improve.

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Lessons Learned

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

A post implementation review, project retrospect or lessons learned meeting is where the team discusses what went well, what could be improved and what we learned. No matter how well a project went there is always something to be learned in a retrospect discussion. 

PEOPLE

2-10 depending on the size of the team. If it becomes larger than 10 people consider breaking out into smaller groups.

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can facilitate a successful lessons learned meeting!

 

PREP WORK

PEOPLE

This is key to successful meetings. Make sure all key stakeholders and team members are on the invite.

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. This play requires any team member who was part of the project. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all
  • Organized and prepared to run play

Sponsor: This must be someone who has skin in the game. In sports this would be the team owner, someone who has an investment in seeing the team win. In business this is typically a project sponsor or product owner who charters the project. Skills needed:

  • Authority to fund the project and team
  • Engaged in outcomes and supporting the team
  • Biggest supporter in the stands

 Product/System/Business Unit Owners: These are decision makers. They can make the call on what changes will happen or authorize a strategy. In some businesses they might be dual roles and also sponsor the project. Skills needed:

  • Change agent. Supportive and enthusiastic about improvements.
  • Supportive of the team and SMEs!
  • Committed and engaged in the project all the way to the end.

Stakeholders: Key members of the team who can help drive direction of the final product. This can be internal or external players. They might have a specialized skill set but they are interested in being part of the winning team. For the initial meeting this does not need to include the entire team, but be sure that each group has representation. Skills needed:

  • Vested interest in the outcome
  • Commitment to seeing it through completion (no fair weather fans)
  • Engaged and believes the team can win!

 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): A SME (pronounced S-Mee) is critical for this play. They will help drive the team to a shared understanding of what is needed to win. Skills needed:

  • Specific domain knowledge, narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow.
  • Communication and team collaboration. They must be able to share with others the knowledge they have on a particular subject. 

 Solution Architect: This person is in charge of leading the practice of designing, describing, and managing the solution engineering in relation to specific business problems. Skills needed:

  • Finding the best tech solution among all possible to solve the existing business problems.
  • Describing the structure, characteristics, behavior, and other aspects of software to project stakeholders.
  • Defining features, phases, and solution requirements.
  • Providing specifications according to which the solution is defined, managed, and delivered.

 Builders: This can be any implementation resource. They will take the requirements and specifications as guidance on what to build. They are team players. In sports, they are the players out on the field. Skills needed: 

  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Communicate effectively.
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.

 Team Players: This is someone who actively contributes to the team in order to complete tasks, meet goals or manage projects. Team players aim to improve the product or process at hand. Every organization relies on good teams. Skills needed:

  • Communicate effectively.
  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

TEAM INTRODUCTION

Some of the team members may not have directly worked with others during the project. This is a nice time to highlight their contribution to the project and role in the team.

  • Start by introducing yourself, and what your role was on the project team:
    • Who you are in the organization and how long you have been in this role
    • Your contributions/highlights on the project
  • Move around the group and have each person introduce themselves answering the same questions
REWIND

Go back to the notes from the Project Kick-off meeting. Review with the team what the original objective and key results were for the project. 

Confirm with the team that the objective and key results were known and shared to all members frequently. If not, note opportunity on how to improve shared understanding of project objective and key results.

MILESTONES (KEY RESULTS)

This is a focused discussion on timeline. Great teams always are on the look out for how to improve. Review estimates and actuals on task/milestone completion. This is not an exercise of blame, rather opportunities for optimization.

Ask the team:

  • Without sacrificing quality, what is one way we could complete this faster?
  • If cost were fixed/constrained as well, what could we do to be more efficient? 
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY

This is the section that most are familiar with in a lessons learned meeting. However, most teams just jump into this without much prep. For this to be meaningful the team must feel that they can speak freely and that the environment is safe to do so. Otherwise, you will get a lot of awkward silence. Set ground rules:

  • Respect one another and assume positive intent. Remind the team that the goal is to have candid conversations but should come from a place of caring about one another. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but no one has a right to  be hurtful with it. Speak from a space of respect towards one another.
  • Speak from a viewpoint of “I” rather than “you”. I think __________, or It is my opinion __________, or In my experience ___________, or I see an opportunity __________. Don’t speak for others and avoid speaking at someone. This type of “I” speak is being accountable for your own actions rather than presenting as judgement of others.
  • Be truthful and authentic. If something didn’t go right, own it. It will build credibility in the team and people will respect your opinion on how to fix it. This is not the space for word play or perception management. The team needs to understand how to improve and we have to start from a place of truth to do so.

Now you are ready to begin the discussion around what went well, what could be improved and what did we learn. You have to decide how to record the results. In a small group you might just enter the feedback in an Excel sheet. With a larger audience, you might choose to use white boards and sticky notes where team members record their thoughts. Irrespective of the tool you always use a 3 column structure: 

  • column 1 = what went well,
  • column 2 = what didn’t go well and
  • column 3 = learnings.

Review feedback with the team and keep any lengthy/tangent conversation on a parking lot board for offline follow-up. 

SHOUT-OUT

Thank the team for their participation in the lessons learned activity but also in the project. Open it up for shout-outs of team members for positive contributions. Shout-outs should be:

  • Specific and calls out the person by name
  • Short and sweet
  • Positive

This helps end the meeting on a positive note!

Want to learn more about the power of a shout-out? Check out this article from lendio.com

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

04

NEXT STEPS

Congratulate the team on a very successful and productive lessons learned meeting!

 

 If needed, schedule another meeting. For large projects you may need to repeat this meeting several times to identify all lessons learned. Don’t worry, once the team gets the hang of it, the next meeting(s) will go much faster and smoother.  

Publish your notes in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going! 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Go Live

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

This is the great launch of your project! It’s time to go-live and celebrate. There is still work to do before crossing the finish line, but you are so close! Use this play to make sure everything runs smooth and as planned. 

PEOPLE

2-10 depending on the size of the team. If it becomes larger than 10 people consider breaking out into smaller groups.

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Practitioner to Master. It may take some practice to run this play.

 

PREP WORK

PLAYS

Prior to this play you will need to have acceptance of the work delivered.  

PEOPLE

The right people are key to the success of this play. This play can be ran for numerous launches so the key people may be from all different areas or even external to your organization. Review the invite list to ensure that all the various experts are in the room.

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all.
  • Organized and prepared to run play.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): A SME (pronounced S-Mee) is critical for this play. They will help drive the team to a shared understanding of what is needed to win. Skills needed:

  • Specific domain knowledge, narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow.
  • Communication and team collaboration. They must be able to share with others the knowledge they have on a particular subject. 
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

DRESS REHEARSAL

This may not be needed for all launches but most will benefit from a dry run through of the go-live activities. A little prep will be needed to make this go smooth but can be done in real time as well for smaller launches.

  • You will need a central meeting space and instant collaboration tools. For software this usually means a virtual meeting room and integrated chat/voice capabilities. For product launch this might mean an open conference call line or a physical meeting room at the location. This is often referred to as a war room, as it is central command center for the entire operation.
  • Think through all launch activities and who will you need available if things go off the rails at any step? Who will step in to fix it on the spot? That is your launch team.
    • This may include resources that were not part of the project team. That’s okay as long as they can be briefed on the project objective and scope of work involved.
  • Document all the activities of the launch. Assigned a single point person for each activity. The activity itself may include multiple people to get it done but you need one single person as point of contact who will own overseeing activity through completion.
  • Prepare any necessary components that will be used for the go-live activities. For software projects this may include a staging environment or for other projects may be a training guide or user manual. Do as much preliminary work as possible now.
  • Meet together with the team and review all activities in the plan. Open the floor for questions or clarifying feedback. Now run through the activities as close as possible to the actual go-live event. Check-in with the team after every activity to see how it went and if any revisions are needed.
THE BIG DAY

This is it. All the hard work, blood, sweat and tears is about to be worth it. Get excited about the day and activities that are about to take place. Energize the team (also stock up on snacks and drinks for the team).

  • Put it on the calendar. Send the meeting invite to everyone who will be involved in the launch activities. Be sure to make it clear the meeting room and conference call in number. Attach the go-live plan as well.
  • Meet in the war room. Be there early and open it up for any last minute questions. Double check with everyone they have everything they need for the launch. Ask if there is any last minute changes. Update everyone with the most recent go-live plan.
  • Run go-live plan and launch activities. Check-in often. Over communicate. When things don’t go as planned (and something inevitably always does) regroup with the team and ask for alternative solutions. This is not the time for blame, hostility or unnecessary drama. Keep focused on the goal and revise the plan with the new approach. Complete the entire plan and activities.
  • CELEBRATE!! No matter what, celebrate. Congratulate one another, and recognize those that went above and beyond to make it work. This is the on the field celebration after winning the big game. Remember it took a team effort and thank the team.
DAY AFTER

This might be the same day but it is after all the launch activities are complete and the celebration has occurred. This is the team back in the locker room discussing the winning game.

  • Validate that everything is still going well and that no fires need put out. In software this is production validation activities but in non-tech projects this might be a check-in with the team to make sure everything is okay.
  • Retrospect on the go-live plan and launch activities. Review:
    • What went well?
    • What could have gone better?
    • What should we change for next time?

 

Want to learn more about Agile War Rooms and why your team needs one? Check out this article by Hygger.

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

 

04

NEXT STEPS

GOOOOAAAALLLLLLL! Congratulate the team on a very successful and productive launch!

 

Publish plan and lessons learned in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going!

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

The purpose of User Acceptance Testing (commonly called UAT) is to get sign-off by the end product owner for a milestone delivery. This can be an internal sponsor or actual end users of the solution. The acceptance of the deliverable signifies when a goal is reached. In football this is the Ref calling a touchdown!

PEOPLE

2-10 depending on the size of the team. If it becomes larger than 10 people consider breaking out into smaller groups.

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Practitioner to Master. It may take some practice to run this play.

 

PREP WORK

PLAYS

Prior to this play you will need to have a clear acceptance criteria defined. This should have happened during the  Defining Requirements play or in the Creating Specifications play. If not, do so now.  

PEOPLE

The right people are key to the success of this play. Review the invite list to ensure that all the various experts are in the room.

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all.
  • Organized and prepared to run play.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): A SME (pronounced S-Mee) is critical for this play. They will help drive the team to a shared understanding of what is needed to win. Skills needed:

  • Specific domain knowledge, narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow.
  • Communication and team collaboration. They must be able to share with others the knowledge they have on a particular subject. 

 Stakeholders: Key members of the team who can help drive direction of the final product. This can be internal or external players. They might have a specialized skill set but they are interested in being part of the winning team. For the initial meeting this does not need to include the entire team, but be sure that each group has representation. Skills needed:

  • Vested interest in the outcome
  • Commitment to seeing it through completion (no fair weather fans)
  • Engaged and believes the team can win!

 Sponsor: This must be someone who has skin in the game. In sports this would be the team owner, someone who has an investment in seeing the team win. In business this is typically a project sponsor or product owner who charters the project. Skills needed:

  • Authority to accept project outcomes
  • Engaged in outcomes and supporting the team
  • Biggest supporter in the stands
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

SHARED UNDERSTANDING

It is critical that everyone has a shared understanding of the original requirements. Often the group wants to jump to testing the outputs, but a review of the requirements will save so much time down the road – it’s worth the time to do this now.

  • Hopefully the organization has a Quality Assurance (QA) team that has previously tested the deliverables. They will typically complete functional testing, integration testing and regression testing for the product. It is their goal to find any defects and get them fixed before going to UAT.
  • With the UAT team, review any requirement delivered in the group of outcomes with team. Focus on the acceptance criteria of each requirement. 
  • Ask the team if there are questions on the acceptance criteria for each requirement or how to test the outcome (this is where a QA resource is very helpful, as they can explain to the team how to test most efficiently).
  • Review timeline for testing. Try to timebox the testing period as a reasonable length to where the team will be able to thoroughly test but not so long that it is forgotten or team is testing for every possible scenario.
TEST, TEST, TEST

This is where the team breaks out into testing activities. Dependent on the complexity of the project, this may take hours or even weeks to complete. Here are some basic testing tips:

  • Shift thinking to end user perspective. What is the purpose of this feature and who will use it? How might they think about it differently than you? What value is this providing them?
  • Look for unintended impacts. When we build new things we tend to focus on the singular goal, but this is the opportunity to take a step back and review the entire system. Understand any dependencies and test to ensure they are still working as designed.
  • Review requirement again. What was the original goal? Has that been achieved? If not, is it a nice-to-have or a must-have fix? Be careful to avoid introducing scope creep now. Meaning, this is not the time to define additional requirements. If it is working as required, accept it and add the additional items for a future release. If it is a must-have fix, send back to the implementation team with clear communication on what specifically needs to be resolved in order to gain acceptance (this should directly link to the original requirements).
ACCEPTANCE

The objective is to gain acceptance of the outcomes for each requirement. Some organizations may formalize this process and have a sign-off for each requirement and specification. Others may be a more informal review and thumbs-up approval.

  • Document the UAT approval within the requirement. This completes the implementation cycle.

 

Want to learn more about UAT – What, Why, Who & Techniques? Check out this article by technetexperts.

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

 

04

NEXT STEPS

Touchdown! Congratulate the team on a very successful and productive UAT!

 

If needed, schedule another meeting. For large projects you may need to repeat this meeting several times to UAT all requirements. Don’t worry, once the team gets the hang of it, the next meeting(s) will go much faster and smoother.  

Publish user acceptance for each requirement in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going!

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Build It

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

Building is the fun part! After planning, it is now time to pull out your tools and start building. This is where we start seeing the vision come to life. This play can be ran for any type of project, not just software development. Adapt it for your specific project needs.

PEOPLE

2-10 is the ideal team size. If it becomes larger than 10 people consider breaking out into smaller teams.

TIME

Varies. See timeboxing activity below

NINJA LEVEL

Practitioner to Master. It may take some practice to run this play.

 

PREP WORK

PLAYS

Prior to this play you will need to have a clear requirements, specifications and prioritized rank ordered work. Do not run this play until the activities are complete.

PEOPLE

The right people are key to the success of this play. Look for team players, make sure they are out on the field!

PLACE

This is where the game is played. It may be physically at the same location or multiple places, and could be completely virtual or a mix.

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all.
  • Organized and prepared to run play.

Builders: This can be any implementation resource. They will take the requirements and specifications as guidance on what to build. They are team players. In sports, they are the players out on the field. Skills needed: 

  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Communicate effectively.
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.

 

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

TEAM HUDDLE

Great teams huddle regularly to make sure that everyone knows the play and is set-up to win. 

  • Review the prioritized work before beginning any building activities. 
    • Look for dependencies on other work items (does another task have to be complete before/after this one?).
    • Is it ready for working on or is there some outstanding questions still? Some flexibility is fine, but vague ideas or requirements are not good candidates for this play.
    • What are the risks? Ask the team if this doesn’t get done, what will happen? How do we plan for that? Are there work-arounds?
  • Give an estimate to each item of work. Many teams use hours (work effort not duration) as that is easily understandable across the organization. Agile teams use points as a way to size work. Team should use whatever units work best for the organization.
  • Allow for some contingency time if things don’t go as planned. Hopefully, you won’t need this but be prepared for it ahead of time in case you do. Determine if there are any planned Personal Time Off (PTO) for anyone on the team. Readjust work commitment if needed.
  • Get a commitment from each builder for the proposed work that will need to be completed in this upcoming iteration.

Make sure everyone is ALL IN!

TIMEBOXING

In time management, timeboxing allocates a fixed time period, called a timebox, within which planned activity takes place. It is used by several project management approaches and for personal time management. 

  • Determine a set time period for completing the tasks in this iteration. Agile teams often do a two-week period. Waterfall teams use a period that aligns to requirements for a particular milestone.
TIME OUT

Taking time out of building activities to check in with the coach and team is critical! In business these are often check-in meetings or in Scrum called stand-up meetings. This regular sync keeps the team focused on the goal. 

Daily stand-ups typically take this format:

  • 15 minutes or less
  • Each person states three things:
    • What I did yesterday
    • What I plan to do today
    • Any blockers in my way
  • Offline any discussions that are not quickly answered topics

Project check-in/status meetings typically take this format:

  • Project/milestone progress and updates
  • Risk review and issue log updates
  • Next steps and follow-up actions
GET ON THE FIELD

Time to get out there and build it. Make sure you have all the tools and equipment you need to be successful. Here are some tips on how to execute successfully:

  • Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a myth and context switching is expensive. So just work on one task at a time until it is done or as far as you can take it.
  • Avoid interrupts. With all of today’s distractions it is amazing we get anything done. If you can, set yourself on Do Not Disturb mode on any social platforms as well as your phone. Even if it is only for a short period it will boost productivity significantly. Block out your calendar and list the task as your subject as a reminder.
  • Ask for help. Know when it is better to ask for help then to keep struggling at a problem. Give yourself permission, “I am going to work at this for ________ time, if I don’t solve it by the end, then I will ask ________ for help.”
  • Celebrate the wins! Look for opportunities to focus on wins for yourself and your team mates. Give a shout-out to someone who went out of their way to help you. You will get what you give – the more you recognize the positive wins, the more often you will see the winning moves.
VICTORY LAP

The team did it – they won! Now that the building activity is complete it is time to show off the goods. 

  • Schedule a demo meeting with stakeholders. This is where you will show off all your hard work! A demo should be short and sweet overview of the outcome. This is not a training session or a knowledge transfer, so take any detailed questions offline. 
  • Document solution and any how-to information. This knowledge transfer is critical for any solution but often gets skipped as it isn’t as fun as the building. This investment now will save the team time later during testing and validation activities.
  • Tie up any loose ends. This may mean logging time, closing out a ticket or running a report. These closing activities formally conclude the building phase.
RETROSPECT

It is important to review the game and ask if there is opportunities to improve. This particular retrospect is for the building activities for this specific group of tasks. Keep it short and sweet. Review:

  • What went well?
  • What could have gone better?
  • What should we change for next time?
ITERATE

This play is meant to run several times during the course of a project execution phase. Some teams do this every two-weeks and others may do this every quarter. Determine what works best for your organization. 

 

Want to learn more about Agile estimation techniques? Check out this article from ReQtest.

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

 

04

NEXT STEPS

Phew! The hard part is done! You might be tempted to run this play for all of requirements at once – but don’t boil the ocean in one go! Instead congratulate the team on a very successful and productive iteration! Then do it again.

 

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Creating Specifications

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

Specifications are the ‘how’ we will do it of a requirement. This bridges the business requirements to the solution. Often specifications are technical in nature, but don’t have to be, as any requirement can be decomposed into great specifications. The ‘spec’ is a plan or strategy for how to build a solution for the requirement.

PEOPLE

2-10 depending on the size of the team. If it becomes larger than 10 people consider breaking out into smaller groups.

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Practitioner to Master. It may take some practice to run this play.

 

PREP WORK

PLAYS

Prior to this play you will need to have a clear requirements defined. Run the Defining Requirements play first if you haven’t already. Requirements should be prioritized and rank ordered so that you can focus on the top items. Run the Prioritizing Work play to determine what are the highest priority requirements to work on.

PEOPLE

The right people are key to the success of this play. Review the invite list to ensure that all the various experts are in the room.

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. You will also need to share ideas, so a whiteboard is important and a space that fosters creativity and innovation. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all.
  • Organized and prepared to run play.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): A SME (pronounced S-Mee) is critical for this play. They will help drive the team to a shared understanding of what is needed to win. Skills needed:

  • Specific domain knowledge, narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow.
  • Communication and team collaboration. They must be able to share with others the knowledge they have on a particular subject. 

Solution Architect: This person is in charge of leading the practice of designing, describing, and managing the solution engineering in relation to specific business problems. Skills needed:

  • Finding the best tech solution among all possible to solve the existing business problems.
  • Describing the structure, characteristics, behavior, and other aspects of software to project stakeholders.
  • Defining features, phases, and solution requirements.
  • Providing specifications according to which the solution is defined, managed, and delivered.
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

SHARED UNDERSTANDING

It is critical that everyone has a shared understanding of the problem (requirement). Often the group wants to jump to solutions, but a review of the problem will save so much time down the road – it’s worth the time to do this now.

  • Review highest prioritized requirement with team. Focus on a single requirement. 
  • Ask the team if there are questions on this requirement. Is the problem statement: 
    • “I” ndependent (of all others)
    • “N” egotiable (not a specific contract for features)
    • “V” aluable (or vertical)
    • “E” stimable (to a good approximation)
    • “S” mall (so as to fit within an iteration)
    • “T” estable (in principle, even if there isn’t a test for it yet)
  • Update requirement to be INVESTable and confirm team has a shared understanding
  • Review next highest prioritized requirement and repeat above process. STOP when requirements that will be worked on in next iteration have been reviewed. Do not try to review all requirements in project. This is a waste of effort unless under a contract or project is purely a waterfall approach.
THE PITCH

After a shared understanding is confirmed for each requirement, it is now time to dig into what is the plan on how to solve it. For complex requirements, this may need to be done after the team has had an opportunity to brainstorm offline. For simpler requirements this can be done in the same meeting.

  • The Solution Architect should lead the discussion on potential solutions to solve for the requirement. The solution should be a strategy or plan. Shift the team thinking to, “In order to meet this requirement, we should consider this approach __________ (specification).“
  • Pitch solution strategy to team for requirement. This should be no longer than 5 minutes to explain. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to describe, this likely means the requirement is to large and should be split into multiple requirements and go back to Shared Understanding activity.
  • Present any alternative solutions and discuss pro/cons of strategies.
  • Pitch next solution for next highest prioritized requirement and repeat above process.
AGREEMENT

The objective is to have a team agreement on the solution strategy for the highest prioritized requirements. Some organizations may formalize this process and have a sign-off for each requirement and specification. Others may be a more informal review and thumbs-up approval.

  • Document the solution strategy within the requirement as a specification. This must be easily accessible by the resource who will build the solution and the team for acceptance later on.
  • Review documented specification with team.
  • Gain acceptance and approval on specification by any key stakeholders.

 

Want to learn more about INVEST and software development? Start here with this definition from Agile Alliance.

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

 

04

NEXT STEPS

Phew! The hard part is done! You might be tempted to go further and discuss the next set of requirements – but don’t boil the ocean in one go! Instead congratulate the team on a very successful and productive meeting!

 

If needed, schedule another meeting. For large projects you may need to repeat this meeting several times to identify specifications for the next prioritized requirements. Don’t worry, once the team gets the hang of it, the next meeting(s) will go much faster and smoother.  

Publish specifications for each requirement in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going!

 

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja

 

Prioritizing Work

Posted on by Jessica Fergus

PLAY Introduction

Knowing where to start is the hardest part! This play is here to help you figure out what to do first and how to prioritize what to do next. Use this play for project work, product development or just to get that to-do list done!

PEOPLE

1-6 people per group. Multiple groups can run this play at the same time.

TIME

30-60 Minutes. No one wants to be in a meeting longer than needed. Try to keep it short and sweet.

NINJA LEVEL

Novice to Master. Anyone can run this play. 

 

PREP WORK

PEOPLE

This play works best with people who have different ideas and unique points of view. Group together people who challenge each other. 

PLACE

Virtually or in-person it is critical that everyone has face-time with each other. So make sure that if attending virtually that everyone can connect in video chat. This play is dependent on breaking out into groups, each group will need a sub-room to meet in for prioritization work. 

 

THE PLAY

All of our plays are five steps or less! However, you may need to run multiple plays to get the most out of this one. Don’t worry – you can do it! Learn the play, rehearse it regularly, apply it in the field and debrief on the outcomes. If it worked well, use it again; if it didn’t, find out why. Are there new factors in the system you need to consider, or do you just need to keep practicing? If you need help or have questions on this play, contact us!

01

SET THE STAGE

Who are the players?

Every winning team knows which players to have on the field and what talent you need on the ready. To successfully deploy this play you will need the following roster:

Meeting Facilitator: Likely this is you! But you don’t have to do it alone, ask a friend (think of it like a football team that has a coach for different parts of the team). Skills needed:

  • Keep the team focused on the goal!
  • Foster a positive and creative space for all.
  • Organized and prepared to run play.

Team Players: This is someone who actively contributes to the team in order to complete tasks, meet goals or manage projects. Team players aim to improve the product or process at hand. Every organization relies on good teams. Skills needed:

  • Communicate effectively.
  • Is the 3R’s: Responsible, Reliable and Ready
  • Optimistic and future-focused.
  • Shows genuine commitment.
  • Supports and respects others.
  • Embraces collaboration.
  • Actively listens.
  • Problem solver.
Get the field ready!

Schedule the meeting in advance. Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the meeting. You want people to be excited about it but not so last minute that they have no time to prepare.

Include an agenda. Set expectations – this will help keep your meeting on track. Include schedule and any prep work needed. Also let them know if it is okay to invite others or not. Remember that if you have to many people in the meeting, it will be difficult to facilitate brainstorming sessions without breaking out into smaller groups.

Prep the room. Arrive early and get ready. If it is in a physical room, get whiteboards ready, enough chairs for everyone, water and snacks are always a hit! If virtually, a central location for notes, brainstorms and follow-up items. Test connectivity in the meeting room and make sure there is enough seats for all participants.

02

CORE ACTIVITIES

TEAM INTRODUCTION

Teams must be great at working together to win. This play is better if the groups feel comfortable working together. You may want to run a couple of ice-breaker activities from step three to get conversation going.

  • Give the teams 5 minutes to introduce themselves and get the conversation going. Have them share a fun fact about themselves like least favorite food, next vacation spot, best local spot, favorite childhood game, favorite sweet treat. The idea is that it is a quick round table ice-breaker.  
THE LIST

Before you can prioritize the list, you need a good group of items that need prioritizing. Don’t boil the ocean in one pass, start with a small group of items. No more than 3 items per person on average. If the group is small, you will be able to manage up to 5 items per person.

  • Start with the main goal, what is the objective? It should be a single statement that is shared with the group. Write that at the top of the whiteboard (each group will need a whiteboard).
  • Pass stickies to the team and have them write what needs to be done in order to reach the goal. It should be a single statement. and can be done on it’s own without the need of any other item The key is that they are related but not dependent one one another. Set the timer and limit time to come up with ideas (no more than 15 minutes). To get great lists, run the Defining Requirements play in step three.
  • Next prep the whiteboard for the pitch. Draw a 3×3 grid on the board with “Value” on the Y-axis and “Cost” on the X-axis


THE PITCH

This is where the team will learn about the list of items needed to reach the goal.  If even if the person isn’t the original author, how can they sell the idea. This is good practice for anyone, and the more you do it, the easier it is!

  • Each person must pitch their ideas in front of the team
    • 1-3 minutes TOTAL (keep a timer, it helps)
  • Uninterrupted time – no questions from the team or input
  • Basic concept, how it creates value, and what it might cost to do – for EACH idea
  • After completed – thank the team
    • Team round of applause
VOTE

This is the difficult part of the play, however, the output of this is the most valuable piece.

  • Group similar ideas together and then place the stickies on the whiteboard in the grid. Two criteria needs to be analyzed for each sticky:
    • Value: How does the deliverable of this item contribute to the overall goal (High, Medium or Low)?
    • Cost: How costly will this be (High, Medium or Low)?
  • Get the team to agree on placement of idea on board. This can be done by voting techniques such as majority wins, thumbs-up/thumbs-down, dot voting or what works best for your groups.
    • An easy system is to have the task author state what they think is the value score and then call for a thumbs-up or down vote, and if the majority of the team agree, it is that rank. Then the author states cost score and again calls for a thumbs-up or down vote. 
  • Place stickies on board (grouping like ideas together). The board will look like this.

A PRIORITIZED LIST

Stand back and look at your prioritized list. Items in the upper-right corner are the biggest bang for your buck. Now that all the hard work is done, let’s talk about the board.

Do First

  • Ideas can be considered “easy wins” or “low-hanging fruit”

  Do Next

  • Ideas are high-value but moderate-cost and should be evaluated for ways to reduce cost

Consider Next

  • Ideas are moderate-value but low-cost and should be evaluated for ways to increase value

Rethink

  • Ideas are high-value but high-cost and should be evaluated for ways to bring cost to moderate level
  • Ideas are moderate-value but moderate-cost and should be evaluated for way to reduce costs and increase value
  • Ideas are low-value but low-cost and should be evaluated for way to increase value

Forget About It

  • Ideas are moderate-value but and will not be considered until changes in items reduce cost and/or increase value

Remove

  • Ideas are low value but high cost and should be removed from the idea board
  • This might be a pet-project
  • Stay focused on only ideas that are worth doing
  • Remember the goal is to work on the ideas that bring value

Recap

1.Do First! High Value/Low Cost

2.Rethink … increase value or lower cost

3.Forget about mediocre ideas

4.Remove low value and high cost ideas

 

Want to learn more about dot voting? Check out this article by Sarah Gibbons on NN/g 

 

03

 TEAM HUDDLE

Time to run the Team Huddle play. Ask the team the following questions and then take a vote. Keep follow-up questions to a minimum and capture any issues raised as an offline follow-up (and be sure to follow-up).

Understand the play?

The play was understood and I asked any questions in time!

I’m not sure I understand and I have some questions …

I did not understand the play or my part in it.

 

Did you get in the game?

Yes, I made my moves and was in the right place at the right time!

I’m not sure I understand what I was supposed to do …

I kept the bench warm and watched from the sidelines.

 

Ready for what’s next?

Yes, I know the game plan and ready to win!

I’m not sure what’s next or if I am involved …

No clue what’s next and would rather sit it out.

 

04

NEXT STEPS

You did it, celebrate with the group! You can use this same technique to prioritize any list of things. You may need to adjust the x-axis term for the situation, but now you know how to prioritize your life.

 

Publish your prioritized list in a central repository that the team has access to immediately. Even better if it is someplace that the team can add comments or collaborate on. Keep the creative chat going!

The team may need to refer back to the list as time moves forward to keep focused on delivering high-value outcomes. As things change you may want to do a quick review play to determine if  any item should move on the grid and regroup to align on what should be done next.

05

IT’S A WRAP

You did it! Now just a few follow-up items:

  • Reflect on the play. Ask yourself how it went? What could have gone better, what could have gone worse? In sports this is watching the game again to see any plays that could have been better. Update your playbook. Build feedback loops that help you see what’s working; what’s not; and how to continue to develop the playbook by learning, adapting and iterating constantly as situations change and new challenges arise.
  • Contribute to the community of Playbook.Ninja. Sign-up for an account and receive updates on when new plays are added and help others by commenting on the plays with what worked or your experience.

Thank you for being a Playbook.Ninja