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heartbeats.md

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Working in two-week “Heartbeats"

heartbeat sketch

###Mercifully brief super-summary:

  • We work in two-week "heartbeats" or "sprints". Translating our quarterly goals into bite-sized pieces we can hack on and learn from quickly.
  • Everything is transparent. To see what we're working on this Heartbeat, go here: http://build.webmaker.org/now To see what's on deck for the next one, go here: http://build.webmaker.org/next
  • Anyone can propose a project. So long as it fits with our mission and goals. (e.g., we're probably not going to build your octocopter.) Use the project intake form here: http://build.webmaker.org/add
  • We work together across teams. Heartbeats focus on mini-projects where people work together directly, regardless of the org chart. Designers, developers, project managers, community members, fundraisers, cats, dogs -- we all sprint together.
  • We set clear priorities for each heartbeat. Top priorities are labelled "P1." Others are "P2." P1 means must do. P2 means "do if we have time." P2s that don't get done in one heartbeat move to the front for the next one.
  • We have a Heartbeat planning meeting at the start. Each key project then has a kick-off meeting to make sure everyone's clear on roles and on the same page.
  • We demo what we got done at the end All P1s demo, even if they're not done. We share what we learned. Demos are fun. You should come.

##Why work in Heartbeats?

  • Openness. More visibility for all stakeholders.
  • Continuous improvement. Move faster, work smoother, work better.
  • Cross-team collaboration. With fewer meetings, red tape and org chart boxes.

A typical heartbeat

heartbeat illustration

Here’s what a typical two-week process might look like (TL;DR version):

  • Monday:
  1. Clean up from the last Heartbeat. Tie off loose ends. Push to production, write blog posts or documentation, water the plants, etc.
  2. Have a Heartbeat Planning Meeeting. Decide and prioritize what we’re doing next. Publicly share out that plan with the world.
  3. Make sure there's a clear Planning Ticket for each project. That clearly lists the goal, key roles, deadlines and metrics for success.

  • Tuesday: Project Kick-Off Meetings. Get together in small project teams around those priorities. Brainstorm, plan and whiteboard together. Make sure everyone is on the same page and has what they need to get started.

  • 2nd Monday: half-way point. How we doing?

  • 2nd Friday: Demo what we got done. Review what we learned.

For “P1″ projects: layer on daily 15-minute stand-up meetings. To make sure any questions and problems get addressed fast.

That’s it! Layer on whatever other meeting, communicating and dance parties required. Rinse and repeat.

other heartbeat illustration

New tools and dashboards

New project intake process. Anyone is able to propose a piece of work at build.webmaker.org/add. It guides you through a project intake process and template that will help us put distributed leadership into action.

##More meat

  • Kick-off meetings. These are an art -- and an extremely important part of making the overall process work.
  • Stand-up meetings -- these are short (15 minutes max), start precisely on time, and are there to ensure you get help fast.
  • Demos -- tips and tricks for how we do demos at the end of each Heartbeat.
  • Sign-off checklist-- how do we know when someone's done and ready to ship? How do we do Quality Assurance (QA) and make sure nothing blows up?