i hate sports but i love kickoffs: how to create a successful project culture, from the first...
DESCRIPTION
You don't get a second chance to make a great first impression. Have your project kickoff meetings become stale, remote, or awkward conversations? After having one too many unproductive (and occasionally sleepy) kickoffs, Happy Cog reinvented it's project definition process around full-day, interactive activities and collaborative design exercises. Kevin M. Hoffman will explore approaches for identifying business strategy, company culture, and project risks before you even shake your client's hand for the first time, and then walk you through the strategy behind Happy Cog's kickoff processes for clients like Zappos.com, Georgetown University, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. #ias10TRANSCRIPT
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HATE SPORTS.I
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HATE SPORTS.I
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HATE SPORTS.I DON’T
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SPORTS.I DON’T
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UNDERSTAND SPORTS.I DON’T
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How to create a successful project culture, from the first meeting.
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Does a great kickoff meeting guarantee a great project?
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Does a great kickoff meeting guarantee a great project?
NO!
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Does a great kickoff meeting guarantee a great project?
NO!
Does a lousy kickoff guarantee project problems?
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Does a great kickoff meeting guarantee a great project?
NO!
Does a lousy kickoff guarantee project problems?
YES.
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1First impressionsare powerful & lasting.
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First impressionsare powerful & lasting.
Roles are unclear or hidden.
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First impressionsare powerful & lasting.
Roles are unclear or hidden.
Time & money is wasted.
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Trust.
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Good Meeting Design
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Meeting Basics
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Is a neutral servantDoesn’t evaluateDoesn’t contributeCoordinates/Manages
Facilitator
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Is a neutral servantDoesn’t evaluateDoesn’t contributeCoordinates/Manages
Facilitator Creates group memory
Records publiclyIs silentFollows up afterwards
Recorder
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Is a neutral servantDoesn’t evaluateDoesn’t contributeCoordinates/Manages
Facilitator
Contributes ideasStays positiveIsn’t defensiveChecks/balances
Group Member
Creates group memoryRecords publiclyIs silentFollows up afterwards
Recorder
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Is a neutral servantDoesn’t evaluateDoesn’t contributeCoordinates/Manages
Facilitator
Contributes ideasStays positiveIsn’t defensiveChecks/balances
Group Member
Designs the meetingSelects attendees & rolesDecides upon goalsBecomes a group member
Leader
Creates group memoryRecords publiclyIs silentFollows up afterwards
Recorder
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Good Meeting Design
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Good Meeting Design
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Good MeetingKickoff Design
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Kickoff
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1 Open process
Kickoff
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Open process
Actionable meeting goals
Kickoff
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Open process
Actionable meeting goals
Good ideas are everyone’s job
Kickoff
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Open process
Actionable meeting goals
Good ideas are everyone’s job
Kickoff
4 Learn more than people’s names
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Conference1
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Conference
Business Strategy
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Design Studio
Conference
Business Strategy
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Design Studio
Conference
Business Strategy
Culture
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Conference1
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★ Editorial direction
Conference1
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★ Editorial direction★ Divide and conquer
Conference1
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★ Editorial direction★ Divide and conquer★ Open but custom attendance
Conference1
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★ Editorial direction★ Divide and conquer★ Open but custom attendance★ Sufficient preparation
Conference1
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Conduct your full stakeholder interview phase before you hold your kickoff meeting.
This provides content for kickoff exercises and a framework for you to test the expectations of stakeholders against the larger organization.
Stakeholder “Frontloading”
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Find a personal connection to the subject early.
Gather specific expectations regarding features and functionality.
Be sure to inquire what are risks for project failure.
Maintain an “off-the-record” tone.
Stakeholder “Frontloading”: Tips
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Stakeholder “Frontloading”: RolesThis technique requires:
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Stakeholder “Frontloading”: RolesThis technique requires:
Recorder
Group Member
Facilitator
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Kickoffs at Happy Cog are never a single meeting.
We define a core team, and then branch out from that core team into meetings that tackle the different layers of a project in different, appropriately sized and staffed sub-groups.
Multiple Meetings
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Multiple Meetings: RolesThis technique requires:
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Multiple Meetings: RolesThis technique requires:
Recorder
Group Member
Facilitator
Leader
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Business Strategy2
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Business Strategy★ Identify must-haves
2
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Business Strategy★ Identify must-haves★ Work across the organization
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Business Strategy★ Identify must-haves★ Work across the organization★ Assess fit between groups
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Business Strategy★ Identify must-haves★ Work across the organization★ Assess fit between groups★ Surface points of contention
2
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Card sorts aren’t just for building sitemaps.
A variation on the poker game “Pass the Trash,” you can use this technique to assess the priorities of a large organization, and if you play your cards right, assess the amount of variance between two organizations.
Prioritization Card Sort
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 1
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 1Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 4
Topic 5 Topic 6 Topic 7 Topic 8
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 2
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 2
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 3
Topic 7 Topic 8
Topic 4Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3
Topic 6Topic 5
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 3
Topic 7
Topic 8Topic 4Topic 1Topic 2Topic 3Topic 6Topic 5
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 4
Topic 7Topic 8Topic 4Topic 1Topic 2Topic 3Topic 6Topic 5
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 4Topic 7
Topic 8
Topic 4
Topic 1Topic 2Topic 3Topic 6Topic 5
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 5 Variation
Topic 7Topic 8Topic 4Topic 1Topic 2Topic 3Topic 6Topic 5
KEVIN
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 5 Variation
Topic 7Topic 8Topic 4Topic 1Topic 2Topic 3Topic 6
Topic 5
SAVEREMOVE
KEVIN
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 6
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 6
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 7
Topic 5 Topic 6Topic 7 Topic 8
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Prioritization Card Sort: Step 7
Topic 5 Topic 6Topic 7 Topic 8KH KH KH KH
1 2 3 4
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Prioritization Card Sort: AnalysisTopic Passes Average Client Avg. Happy Cog Avg. Variation
Donate to a Specific Program 8 1.31 1 1.67 -0.67
Get Help 1 5.23 5.42 5 0.42
Integrated Events Calendar 12 1 0.14 2 -1.86
Reviews of New Technology 2 3.38 4.71 1.83 2.88
Services Organized by Topic 2 6 3.57 8.83 -5.26
Sign Up to be a Volunteer 0 1.53 1.28 1.83 -0.55
Simulations 0 2.31 3 0.33 2.67
Volunteer for a Specific Program 1 0.46 0 1 -1
Out of 10, n=13 Out of 10, n = 7 Out of 10, n = 6
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Prioritization Card SortThis technique requires:
Recorder
Group Member
Facilitator
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This is something we picked up from Henning Fischer at Adaptive Path’s UX Intensive.
Have all participants evaluate a list of proposed features on a scale of 1 to 5, but limit the total allowed points to 3X the number of features. Plot the results.
Priority & Feasibility Plot
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Priority & Feasibility Plot: Step 1Feature or Functionality Priority Feasibility
Donate to a Specific Program 2 5
Get Help 4 5
Integrated Events Calendar 5 1
Reviews of New Technology 3 1
Services Organized by Topic 1 3
Sign Up to be a Volunteer 3 3
Simulations 4 4
Volunteer for a Specific Program 2 2
Must total 24 24 24
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Priority & Feasibility Plot: Analysis5
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1
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Priority
Feasibility
Get Help
Simulations
Volunteer
Donate
Volunteer for a Specific Program
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Priority & Feasibility MatrixThis technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
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Design Studio3
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Design Studio★ Develop shared vocabulary
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Design Studio★ Develop shared vocabulary★ Volume of ideas
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Design Studio★ Develop shared vocabulary★ Volume of ideas★ Low risk
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Design Studio★ Develop shared vocabulary★ Volume of ideas★ Low risk★ Build something!
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Design studios have been around for awhile, but Todd Zaki Warfel made them sexy with his Prototyping book.
Everyone starts with a blank grid, a pencil, and a time limit. Have them prototype, form groups of 2, present, then critique.
Repeat until you get down to two large groups.
Design Studio/Prototyping
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Design Studio/Prototyping
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Design Studio/PrototypingUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumNovember 9, 2009
Your Name: United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumNovember 9, 2009
Your Name(s):
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Design Studio/Prototyping
Design Studio/PrototypingUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Design Studio/PrototypingUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Design Studio/PrototypingUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Design Studio/PrototypingThis technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
Group Member
Recorder
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Based in part on their recent O’Reilly book Designing Social Interfaces, Social Mania is a card game created by Christian Crumlish and Erin Malone that allows encourages players build & ship hypothetical social experiences.
It’s a great way to help “non-web” people understand the social web. Make sure you have prizes.
Social Mania
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Social Mania
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Social Mania!This technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
Group Member
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Social Mania!This technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator Facilitator
Group Member
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Culture4
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Culture★ Create a new culture
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Culture★ Create a new culture★ Explore and define values
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Culture★ Create a new culture★ Explore and define values★ Build trust & relationships
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Culture★ Create a new culture★ Explore and define values★ Build trust & relationships★ Identify challenges & colleagues
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Show someone a series of websites. Give them 20 seconds to score their reaction to that site on a scale of 1 to 5.
Compare the overall averages, averages by organizational division, and then follow up with folks on high and low scorers.
20 Second “Gut” Test
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20 Second “Gut” TestExample
A Rate your reaction to this website:
1 2 3 4 5Dislike Like
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20 Second TestThis technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
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We adapted the basic framework behind Austin Govella and Livia Labate’s User Experience Health Check to evaluate the visual aesthetic of individual functional components.
Uses a methodology similar to the 20 second test, but evaluates individual interface components outside of their larger context.
Design X Health Check
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Design Experience Health CheckExample Rate this element:
Importance1 2 3 4 5
Aesthetic Appeal1 2 3 4 5
Bad Good
A2
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Design Experience Health CheckThis technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
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Design Experience Health CheckThis technique requires:
Group Member
Facilitator
Leader
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Projects excel when you can identify shared values between you and your client.
Internally, agree upon your own values about a particular aspect of your work, for example visual design. Then prepare an open discussion based on examples of each value.
Values Exploration
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Values ExplorationHappy Cog Visual Design ValuesBeautiful TypographyUsabilityLess is MoreUnderstand Convention to Innovate
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Values ExplorationThis technique requires:
Recorder
Group Member
Facilitator
Leader
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A Few
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A Few
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A Few
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A FewContinuity.
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A FewAdaptation.
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A FewDepth.
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A FewTrust.
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http://www.goodkickoffmeetings.com
@kickoffmeeting
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Q&A
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