Team Practices Group/How To Engage With TPG

DRAFT 2016-06-16

Context
The Team Practices Group (TPG) facilitates the discovery and implementation of processes, methodologies, and approaches that work best for each group or individual. We also emphasize clarity, trust, customer value, and continual improvement. To that end, we work with individuals, teams, and groups within the foundation, on an as-needed/as-available basis.

TPG is able to perform various functions, like meeting facilitation or Scrummastering, but when possible we would rather teach those skills to others. Our goal is to increase capacity and empowerment throughout the organization. With that in mind, when you request help from TPG, consider whether it would be more effective and healthy for TPG to “teach you how to fish” rather than just “feed you a fish”.

How to request help
To request TPG support in any of the team’s skills, please email Kristen Lans with the following information:
 * Type of support you are requesting
 * Duration of support including start date
 * Problem/issue you hope to solve with TPG support
 * Perceived benefit to your team, the foundation, or the movement, of solving this

We will evaluate requests and balance them with existing work and other requests. You will receive a response within a week which might contain questions for you, or information regarding the team’s availability to accommodate your request in the timeframe you indicated.

Example requests
Problem to solve: we have 7 backlogs and workboards and feel overwhelmed. Help us streamline them somehow.

Type of support: agile coaching on backlog design

Skills requested: agile coaching, process design

Duration of support: maybe a couple 2 hour meetings any time before end of the month

Benefit: a clearer way for us to manage our work and raise the visibility for requests from the foundation and the movement that might otherwise get lost or overlooked

Problem to solve: we just started using kanban, and want help organizing the team’s workflow to develop highest value work first

Type of support: agile coaching on Kanban process

Skills requested: agile coaching, Kanban

Duration of support: 1 quarter starting beginning of Q2

Benefit: team morale and improved customer satisfaction

Problem to solve: Maya just became our Scrummaster and although she has had some training, she could use support as she builds her skills

Type of support: coach our new non-TPG scrummaster get up to speed

Skills requested: agile coaching

Duration of support: months?

Benefit: Maya can be more effective sooner, and the team can have an easier transition to scrum

Problem to solve: We need to migrate to this new expense management software, and we’re not sure we can do it in 6 months and without major disruption to stakeholders

Type of support: help us figure out and execute a plan

Skills requested: project management

Duration of support: hopefully less than 6 months

Benefit: the project will be a lot more efficient and effective if it is run well which will lead to cost savings

Problem to solve: Our team has to work closely with another team, but they use different planning tools, so we’re having trouble coordinating

Type of support: simplifying communications and interactions between two non-engineering/technology teams

Skills requested: Cross-team communication and collaboration, Consulting and support for context-appropriate workflows, Team and Organizational Dynamics

Duration of support: maybe a week or two?

Benefit: improved collaboration, reduced churn, improved response time to customers