Teamwork

We want a more purposeful way of working together so we can contribute better, stronger, more meaningful ideas. We want to feel like a team that is building something great together.

Mindsets

What are the agreed perspectives we hold for teamwork?

Devote time to work together to create a space where people feel aware and confident of why and what the objective is. It takes everyone to win. Evolve the process of collaboration regularly. Ask “How can I help?” and say “I’ve got your back.”

Habits

What habits nurture how we work in teams?

INDIVIDUALLY

Less check-ins and more posting of work on the boards

Use the metal board or one of the boards in the other small rooms. Make sure you let the team know that you’re ready for a review. Team then can post comments at their own pace. Use Slack to share work early and often in the project channel. Upload your project drafts to Dropbox regularly so the whole team has access to the most current thinking.

Make it fun and have faith in each other

Mutual trust in the office that we can get the work done and have time to have a good laugh or share a cute animal photo.

Being open to spontaneous discussion

Sometimes the best collaboration is not planned. Make yourself open to finding a stopping point on one project so you can jump easily to the next.

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2 PEOPLE

Define goal of collaboration session

Where are you trying to get to? Is this to narrow down some options to start riffing on or is this to nail down a presentation for a client? Having a clear outcome at the start helps you figure out when you are finished. Design your internal collaboration time with intent, just as we would for a collaboration session with a client.

Ask for feedback on work continuously, not only when it’s finished

Check in with the team early and often. We share the sausage making with the client. Make sure you collaborate on the recipe. Slack and Dropbox are your friends — keep people updated by posting regularly to both.

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3+ PEOPLE

Organize pre-project internal kickoffs and post-project debriefs

At the beginning of every project, we get together as a team to outline clear goals and deadlines so we can hold each other accountable for the pieces we all intend to own. At the end of every project, we get together as a team and ask questions such as:
“What did we learn?”
“What do we celebrate?”
“What do we do differently next time?”

Create a physical space where we can run a sprint

Make sure the space is set for the goals of the sprint. Are we working for 3 hours individually with room for quick huddles or are we all working together on the same piece.

Start every meeting by defining the goal of the collaboration session and use objectives as a way to focus action

Design with intent before hand so that the team can use the group time to the best advantage.

Create ways for everyone to be heard throughout a session

Sometimes this means using the same types of exercises we use with clients with ourselves. This is also a great way of testing new exercises we might eventually use with a client.

We regroup as a team before we go back to the client with a response

Where it means a meeting, a quick Slack discussion, or an informal review, make sure the whole team is up to speed and aligned before we get in front of a client.

Share in the value of fluid roles — anyone can contribute ideas

Good ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes the best ideas come from the oddest places, and you’ll never find them if you don’t create the space that allows them to emerge.

The use of SFDs as a starting point

It is a honor to be the person creating the SFD. Wear this as a badge with pride. Just get it down on paper or digitally. It is much easier once it is started and it doesn’t have or should be perfect.

As a team, look for ways to spread ownership

It is hard to push a rock up a hill by yourself. Push for a while, then when you are tired, pass it on to someone else and let them push for a while. By working together, we ensure we have a diverse set of inputs into the final product, and we can help each other make things better.

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GAPS

Collectively create a project purpose framework

Collect all of the ways we collaborate as a shared pool of meaning

Further define our sprint process, when it works and when it doesn’t