Notes from 1/16/2010

Overview

-Introduction to Rachel Rutherford
-General team well being
-The Core Protocols


Introduction to Rachel Rutherford

Those who did not know her already were introduced to Rachel for the first time. Rachel is an invaluable resource for team-building, organization, and management. We plan on having meetings with her about every month or so, but if needed she can be contacted at rachelr@digipen.edu or rachelsdpmail@gmail.com


General Team Well Being

Affect your space. Part of being a team is learning how to take care of - and place value in - ourselves and our work. When meeting in a classroom or otherwise mundane space, spruce it up a bit by moving the furniture around or bringing a table cloth to drape over the table. Work in good light. Bring snacks.

When you actively value yourself and your work, the quality of your work will improve to match it ("I am valuable" leads to producing things of value).


The Core Protocols

In addition, to help facilitate the organization and productivity of our meetings, we will be utilizing a set of tools known as the core protocols. Of these, I believe the following will be particularly useful:

Check-Ins - Part of working as a team means committing to being actively involved in what the team is doing. However, when a member of the team is distracted, over-worked, unhealthy, or otherwise incapacitated, their involvement in the work of the team can actually hinder productivity. Check-ins is a tool that helps assess each member's current state to determine whether or not participating in team events is the best course of action. At the beginning of meetings, each member will start by saying how he or she is feeling emotionally, physically, and psychologically. If that member is able, and actively wants to be involved with the team, then they will tell the team "I'm in," at which point the team will respond "Welcome." If, on the other hand, the member feels that they are not feeling their best and are not going to be fully committed to the meeting, they are given the ability to check out. If this is the case, they will tell the team "I'm out," at which point the team will respond "Thank you." Check-ins not only apply to meetings, but any time there is team activity.

Scrum - This is a quick way to exchange information with other team members. Often times, when there are many tasks being done by many various people, it is hard to keep track of who is working on what and how much progress they have made. Scrum helps solve this problem by having each member state the following: 1) What they have done for this meeting, 2) What they promise to complete by next meeting, and 3) What is blocking them from completing their tasks. By sharing these 3 points, members are able to communicate their progress and needs instantly to other members. This can often help decide what needs to be done during the meeting as well.






These notes will be updated soon to add the other core protocols.