Comments on Collaboration Sessions: How to Lead Multidisciplinary Teams, Generate Buy-In, and Create Unified Design Views in Compressed Timeframes

Roland Hill — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:45 GMT

I like the idea and have worked in many workshops that have been Collaborative Sessions under a different name. One thing though is that however good the session, one of the keys to getting good requirements/IA/results is to work iteratively. If you do a “big bang” collaborative session and then still follow a waterfall method, then I cannot see it working.

Tip for the session: have a tool that lets you build a visual model / interaction design quickly. People can generally get that the end product will look different. I have used, and still use, SWIPR with great success (www.swipr.com)

Lite — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:15 GMT

can you develop a page that prints properly in forefox? your site prints like crap. how many style sheets does one page need? sheesh.

nemrut — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:15 GMT

Can you provide some logistical details at a granular level:

_timeframe(all day, multiple sessions..
_#participants
_Yahoo properties that benefited(also based on testamonials)

I think the intent is good albeit time-consuming and ‘expensive.’ Additionally, i can’t help but to think these sessions devolve into ‘design by committee’ when you have cross-functional participants providing ideas/feedback at a page-level view..but maybe i’m just being overly critical.

Paula Thornton — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:15 GMT

I have a new action item that I haven’t tested yet, but based on experiences believe should be very instrumental. For collaborative sessions you can create increased ‘importance’ and ‘seriousness’ around the effort by assessing the attendees and making pre-event assignements.

The goal is to learn enough about each individual to establish some sense of ‘personal connection’ in their own minds so that they are coming to the event with at least a ‘neutral’, if not ‘positive’ respect for you and your own abilities. Find out what personal contribution you believe the individual can make during the event. Share this with them personally and ask them if you can rely on them for this ‘strength’. Ask them if they believe they have some other greater strength that they can bring to the table. This dialog alone will increase understanding and respect.

At the beginning of the event, introduce each individual by ‘celebrating’ what you believe their significant contribution to be as part of this effort and reaffirm anything they have agreed to. In this way people are coming to the event with some level of ‘invested interest’, even before ‘discovery’ begins.

ji — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:52:15 GMT

good article.
any recommendation for teams seperated by location, and timezone??? I feel collaboration sessions are highly effective when the stakeholders of the project are located in one place – but with globalization in our industry, we’re becoming more apart and harder to do things that you recommend. thanks :)

-ji