How a Timer Keeps Our Product Design Team on the Clock
Whether you’re in an Agile team, startup, or big company, the chances are that by now, you know that teams should always deliver on time. Including different stakeholders in the project is key, but knowing how to manage the time of everyone across several teams is fundamental.
Fast-delivery teams have no time to waste. Sometimes it’s hard to add it all to the mix and also keep focused throughout the whole process. To deal with it, some exercises and regular ceremonies can do wonders. And for those, you could really use a timer!
We Have a Timer, And It’s Doing Great
At OutSystems, the Product Design team has a timer, and we couldn’t be happier with it. When we got it, we were a brand new team, so the timer has been with us pretty much from the beginning. It took us a while to get used to working with each other and to create team processes.
“At first, I would only participate in design sessions, but it worked pretty well, so I started being included in more and more events. Honestly, I was waiting for a boring career as a kitchen timer, with my solo skill of doing 99-minute countdowns, but that was about it. I’m fortunate for not having to deal with kitchen fumes and smells!”
Product Design team’s timer
It wasn’t clear from the beginning how good our relationship with the timer would be. There was a learning curve as we started to establish more ceremonies, but soon we realized that it was a natural fit.
In our daily meetings, it would ensure that we wouldn’t waste any time. In ideation sessions, it allowed us to do everything on time, and even in longer meetings, such as design sessions and strategy days, the timer guaranteed that we would always beat the clock (not literally, it has feelings).
“I get pretty busy doing everything on time. Occasionally, I work with other teams as well. And of course, on Fridays, I time the 5-minute yoga lessons that we do for fun. We gotta have hobbies, right?”
Product Design team’s timer
Shaping Our Ways
Our ceremonies helped us shape the way we work as a team. The goal is always the same: to align the whole team with the problems we’re trying to solve and have us all on the same page. The timer really helps make our meetings more productive, especially the longer ones, where we want to make sure everyone’s using their time wisely.
Design Sessions
Our design sessions are one of the most important and older ceremonies. They’re ideation sessions, inspired by Google’s Design Sprint and adapted to our needs. Google’s design sprints take place for 5 days in which designers, stakeholders, and other teams involved in the project are fully dedicated to a problem. However, it was hard for us to have everyone available for such a long time, and we had to adjust a bit.
We prepare as much as possible for our compact 2-day sessions, to make it all go smoothly and in a short amount of time. We prepare by working on discovery, research, interviews, and preparing initial findings, discussing them beforehand. On other occasions, we invite someone to speak to the group for some time.
In any scenario, we always have strategic pauses for coffee and have plenty of snacks available during the whole session. By the end of each session, we keep all the amazing exercises that lead to great ideas and prototypes! Of course, the timer is key to keep up with the packed schedule.
“They work me like a clock, but I do love it. It’s great to be part of a product being born!”
Product Design team’s timer
Turned out so well that other teams started doing their own sessions too!
Strategy Days
Our strategy days are, in short, full or half days that we take to work strategically as a team, keeping us aligned and working on those goals that can be forgotten amid the day-to-day requests.
Gathering the whole team to work on something always has incredible results. Define goals for the whole group to look upon and set clear action items? Go over all the improvements we’ve made and plan the ones ahead? Start a new initiative of devs advocates for UX? You name it!
While it feels great to have this day to ourselves, it’s quite the responsibility as well. This means complete focus, putting on hold our tactical work for the day, and being less responsive to teams trying to reach us. That’s why we always count on the timer to keep the schedule tight!
Product Experience Syncs
Additionally, we have a remote update with the whole experience group in which we make great use of a timer. Given the number of different teams, we have to limit each one’s time to a couple of minutes to keep it interesting and informative for everyone while not taking too much of each other’s days. It may feel like treason, but given the remote nature of this sync, we use a digital timer.
“I’m not sad, you know? Just a bit disappointed, that’s all…”
Product Design team’s Timer
Stop Talking About Cats and Dogs
In the beginning, matching a time frame can be really hard. Meetings may extend past their limits due to late participants and sometimes it’s hard to understand why everyone is suddenly talking about their cats and dogs, but it happens.
Once you get timers right though, they’re greatly rewarding. Limited time is an exceptional incentive for productivity. Everyone gets to speak, they feel responsible for preparing meetings beforehand, and they’ll be able to be more pragmatic.
When you bring your fellow timer to a meeting, it’s easier to notice the different tasks being checked, leaving a feeling of accomplishment in everyone. Also, it’ll be immediately clear that it’s not OK to bring your cute puppy to the discussion (unless it’s really, really, cute).
Every Timer Needs a Sidekick
It’s clear that having a timer in the team is great, but how do we make sure that people actually respect its authority? Do people always get that intuitively?
It all depends on the event. In our design sessions, the facilitator makes sure that the timer is respected. Not everyone understands why it’s important, and with people from other teams in the room, there can be some pushback. On the other hand, some topics might need a bit more time to be discussed, and the facilitator decides the right approach to each situation. Anyone can take this role, but it’s not an easy job.
While the timer marks strict limits, the facilitator focuses on grey areas, such as reminding people of what’s still on the agenda and how limited time is.
“Every hero has a sidekick, right? Along with the facilitator, I’m always on time to save the day!”
Product Design team’s Timer
Going overtime is always potentially problematic for everyone, and it’s crucial to know when to allow discussion off the clock. Sometimes, it’s important to keep the discussion flowing, so be sure to shift things a bit when you feel it’s for the greater good.
We Need More Timers in the World!
Ever since we started using our timer, we never looked back. It made us feel that, when perfectly timed, meetings are not such a bad thing, and they improve both our productivity and the quality of our work.
“I hope that people realize the value of having a timer with them in meetings. Mobile phones and online timers are alright too, they’re polite fellows. But there’s nothing like a good old in-house timer on the table!”
Product Design team’s timer
It took us a while to find out what works for us, but limiting our time together proved to be a great decision. It ensures that everyone’s time is respected, we can make the most of meetings, and it leaves enough time to focus on our individual tasks.
BEEP! BEEP! You’ve been reading this article for 7 minutes. Time’s up!
