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Collaborating on Vision

Collaborating on Vision

How do you build a great product with a team? Do you need a luminary? Or can you work together to decide on a collective vision? Let’s explore what team vision looks like, how it can work, and what needs to be in place to allow it to happen correctly.

Steve Smith
PRO

June 12, 2014
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Transcript

  1. COLLABORATING
    Collaborating on Vision
    Deciding what to do together, together.
    Steve Smith • @orderedlist

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  2. Let’s talk about WHY vision
    needs collaboration.

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  3. WHY?
    People on a team have areas of
    expertise.

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  4. WHY?
    People on a team have areas of
    responsibility.

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  5. WHY?
    But, the idea and the project
    belong to everybody.

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  6. WHY?
    Your coworkers deserve to
    feel empowered.

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  7. WHY?
    Everyone needs to know what
    why they’re building.

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  8. WHY?
    Spirit vs. the letter of the law.

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  9. WHY?
    After all, our work is intended
    for people.

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  10. WHY?
    We use the term audience.

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  11. WHY?
    If we have an audience, our
    work is a performance.

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  12. WHY?
    Like music, our work is more
    than just notes and words.

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  13. WHY?
    A good performance needs
    soul and emotion.

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  14. WHY?
    It requires understanding, not
    just knowing the song.

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  15. WHY?
    Our work is the performance of
    an idea, a collaboration on
    a purpose.

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  16. WHY?
    Knowing why is empowering
    It gives a collective sense of direction

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  17. WHY?
    Quality is everyones job
    Understand the purpose to judge quality

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  18. WHY?
    Empowered people care
    They make things better

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  19. Great, but HOW do we do it?

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  20. HOW?
    Talk to each other. All the time.

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  21. HOW?
    Brainstorming is different
    than collaboration.

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  22. HOW?
    Brainstorming is working on
    a problem.

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  23. HOW?
    Brainstorming can
    happen organically.

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  24. HOW?
    Collaboration is working on
    a solution.

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  25. HOW?
    Collaboration must
    happen intentionally.

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  26. HOW?
    Collaborate over a proposed
    solution, not a vague idea.

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  27. HOW?
    Favor text over voice for
    making decisions.

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  28. HOW?
    Keep a record of how you made
    the decision.

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  29. HOW?
    Allow everyone to participate
    in refining an idea.

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  30. HOW?
    That does not mean it’s a
    free-for-all.

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  31. HOW?
    Respect your
    teammates experience.

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  32. HOW?
    Respect your
    teammates voice.

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  33. HOW?
    Respect your teammates.

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  34. HOW?
    Ask the right questions.

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  35. HOW?
    Why are we doing it this way?
    BAD

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  36. HOW?
    Why are we doing it this way?
    GOOD

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  37. HOW?
    Allow the idea to evolve.

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  38. HOW?
    Allow initial assumptions to be
    proven incorrect.

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  39. HOW?
    Allow yourself to be wrong.
    It’s OK. I promise.

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  40. HOW?
    What’s that process look like?

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  41. HOW?
    At GitHub, it’s
    constantly changing

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  42. HOW?
    For initial conversations, we
    use Pull Requests

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  43. HOW?

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  44. HOW?

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  45. HOW?

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  46. HOW?
    But in reality, use what
    works for you

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  47. HOW?
    Communicate with people
    Mind your words, they are important

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  48. HOW?
    Document your decisions
    People need context

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  49. HOW?
    Be flexible
    Adapt the idea as you work and learn

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  50. HOW?
    Encourage real feedback
    Let others make your work better

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  51. Together we can make
    GREAT things.
    Thank you!

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