Team Practices Group/Planning offsites

How to use this page
'''WMF STAFF: As soon as you start to plan an offsite, contact the Admin team. They are experts with a lot of these issues, and can take care of a lot of it for you!'''

An offsite typically requires planning and execution by multiple people. Early on, it's helpful to clearly identify who will be responsible for which aspects. Then, if you are someone responsible for some aspect of an offsite, you can focus on the sections that are relevant to you. This page is on a public wiki, as we believe the information could be helpful to anyone in any organization planning an offsite. However, it also includes details specific to the WMF.

Over time, as this page grows, it is likely to be split into multiple pages. Some major sections might become their own sub-page, and some of the bullet points will almost certainly become pages of their own, full of details. Whenever possible, we should link to existing information, rather than duplicating it here.

After every offsite, any new lessons learned should be added here, so future offsites can benefit.

Why?

 * What is the primary purpose/goal of this offsite? What are secondary goals?
 * Examples: Integrating new team members; launching a new initiative; planning for the next year/quarter; gaining shared understanding of the team vision, mission, roadmap, etc.; resolve simmering issues; face-time for remotees; stepping away from the work environment to gain perspective; general "teamy-ness".
 * Are the goals largely philosophical, or action-oriented?

Who?

 * Who is the overall event owner, responsible for the goals, budget, etc.?
 * Who will be responsible for logistics (venue, supplies, transportation)?
 * Who will be responsible for planning the content (schedule, session formats)?
 * Who will be responsible for facilitating the sessions? Note-taking?
 * As a rule of thumb, assume 1 facilitator per 5-10 participants
 * Who from the team should be invited?
 * Should anyone outside the team be invited?
 * Should local Wikimedians (who aren't directly relevant) be invited to some sessions, since the travel cost will be minimal?

When?

 * Avoid conflicts with other Wikimedia events (Wikimania, All-hands)
 * Avoid major holidays
 * Try to avoid the end of the quarter (late-March, late-June, late-September, late-December)
 * (If the location is set) Check for conflicts with major events in that area at that time (e.g. The Olympics)
 * How long should the event be? Should it consist of fully-structured days, or half-structured/half-unstructured?
 * Everyone should arrive in town at least the night before (ideally the afternoon before)
 * Facilitators should arrive even earlier, if possible, to check out the site and make final arrangements
 * If at all possible, don't have people leave before the event actually ends

Where (in the world)?

 * Consider cost and time (including connections) for all participants
 * Consider time zone differences for all participants
 * Cell phone coverage (especially data)
 * High altitudes can cause altitude sickness--consider allowing an extra day for acclimation
 * (If the dates are set) Check for conflicts with major events in that area at that time (e.g. The Olympics)

Where (venue)?
WMF STAFF: Reminder: The admin department should be able to take care of most of this for you!
 * Consider the ground transportation options between the airport and the facilities
 * Is the neighborhood safe? Walkable? Interesting?
 * Ensure good wi-fi access, including range, potential port filtering, and enough bandwidth
 * Check for meeting room(s) of appropriate size, auditoriums,
 * A meeting room that is too large can have poor acoustics or can feel uncomfortable
 * Do you need whiteboards, walls to stick things on?
 * The facilitator(s) should be involved when deciding how the tables and chairs will be arranged
 * Windows can bring in natural light, and can be used to stick post-its on...but can be distracting
 * Having a clock in the room, visible to the facilitator, can be very helpful
 * Outdoor sessions (such as in a courtyard) can be a refreshing change of pace
 * Having lounge space nearby is very helpful, for hacking and informal conversations
 * What type of A/V equipment do you need, including cables and adapters and clickers?
 * Get guidance from experts as needed (for example, within the WMF, there is an OIT group)
 * Keeping the same room(s) for the whole events has logistical advantages
 * Can stick things to the wall and come back to them
 * Psychological comfort
 * Avoids needing to set up a new space, confirm whiteboards and A/V, move materials between rooms
 * If possible, visit the site, and ideally bring a teammate with you
 * Bring a list of questions
 * If the facilitator can't visit the site in advance, try to ensure they will at least be able to do a quick walk-through of the rooms when they arrive on-site
 * You might need to make a deposit (for the WMF, work with Director of Administration on payment options)
 * Check reviews of the venue on sites like Yelp
 * Ask co-workers for recommendations and reviews of venues they have used in the past
 * Questions to consider regarding costs, contracts, and policies:
 * What is the flat cost to book the venue?
 * What is their booking policy? Is there a deposit needed or a payment plan available?
 * What is the cancellation policy?
 * What are the payment terms? (WMF accounting asks for net 30)
 * How late can you cancel without incurring any costs?
 * How much notice must the site have to give you without incurring any costs?
 * What are the insurance requirements?
 * Does the venue have a list of required suppliers?
 * Has the venue ever held an event like yours before?
 * Have the space provide you with references and really find out how others’ experiences with the location have been
 * Catering
 * What are the catering costs?
 * Is there an on-site caterer, or will you have to find an independent one?
 * Is there a fee for using an independent caterer?
 * Does the venue have its own wait staff?
 * How many employees will be available on the day of your event?
 * What are the venue’s A/V capabilities?
 * If there is no A/V production then you should inquire about costs of set-up. Big productions can take a lot of time to put in place and you may have to rent the for more than just the event day.
 * What is the wifi bandwidth, is it enough for the number of participants? (Ask OIT if you have additional technical questions)
 * How will this venue support our remote staff for this event?
 * How much production will you need to provide?
 * Is there a freight elevator or way to load-in/load-out any equipment that has to be brought to the space?
 * [Factor in load-out cost for money and time. Something that takes a long time to put up will most likely take some time to take down.]
 * Is there an area to store equipment out of sight of guests?
 * What are the best ways to get to and from the venue location?
 * Are there parking facilities, cab and public transportation options?
 * Are there any on-site amenities? Is there an on-site computer or printer? Is there an office for you to work out of?

Where (lodging)?

 * Check for convenient access between lodging and the meeting facility
 * Ensure good wi-fi access, including range, potential port filtering, and enough bandwidth
 * Gym/recreational facilities are very important to some people

Getting ready
See Workshop Planning

General guidance for planning

 * Have as much as possible planned out before you arrive on-site (because you'll have to spend your time there on unexpected issues that arise)
 * Involve key stakeholders (and anyone who will be leading or presenting in a session) in planning early and often
 * Find out in advance if anyone has special needs, such as needing specific break times for medical or religious reasons

Session format/structure

 * Options include pre-planned, semi-structured, unconference, unstructured
 * Reserve at least a few hours near the end of the event to handle topics that arise unexpectedly during the event
 * But have at least a basic plan for all the time, so you never have to scramble to figure out a session at the last minute


 * Plan the entire event, but assume the plan will likely be changed during the event
 * Facilitator(s) should plan to spend 1-2 hours preparing for every hour of facilitated session time
 * When possible, involve some physical movement within the session, such as having everyone get up and arrange post-its on a wall
 * When possible, get groups to split up; conversations with more than 5-10 people are especially difficult
 * But remember that splitting up, and reconvening, can take longer than one might expect
 * Moving between rooms, or between indoors and outdoors, can take longer than one might expect
 * Try to use a variety of session formats, to keep the energy up
 * Beware of "shared-facilitation" sessions, where there is a presenter who is not a skilled facilitator
 * In advance, agree who will handle what aspects of facilitating any questions or discussion
 * Schedule breaks every 1.5 hours or so; if you don't give people bio-breaks/smoke-breaks, they'll either be distracted, or will just leave anyway
 * Enforce coming back from breaks promptly
 * Consider experimenting with "microbreaks", which are strictly bio/smoke breaks with NO chit-chat, and should only last about 4 minutes
 * Allow enough time for lunch
 * Be familiar with the "groan zone" (where the group is diverging), and understand that it is impossible to predict how long a group will take to get through it to converge
 * If there are "hot topics" that you know the group will want to discuss, build those into the plan
 * If there is "hacking" time, consider a session near the end for people to show what they have done
 * Watch for opportunities to make sessions "optional", giving people who don't attend a chance to catch up on email or have small-group discussions
 * Use different session structures depending on the goal of that session. Examples:
 * Generating ideas
 * "World Cafe" method, using rotating small groups, then sharing back to the whole group
 * Have people write one idea per post-it; stick them on a wall; cluster them
 * Prioritizing
 * Consider grouping options into an Urgent/Important matrix
 * Ice-breaking
 * (Need link here describing the "polarities" exercise)

Meals
WMF STAFF: An admin person should be able to handle this
 * Various beverages are essential to different people (coffee, tea, cold water, soda, etc.)
 * Some folks are keen to have an electric kettle available
 * Breakfast in the conference room makes it easier to have the first session start on time
 * Having meals brought into the venue can save 2+ hours each day
 * Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks can help keep people engaged
 * Consider all the dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, kosher, etc.)
 * Consider scheduling sessions that don't require full attention during meals (e.g. lightning talks or hackathon presentations)
 * But the rustling of papers, sticky fingers, and distractions can be problematic
 * A team dinner the first night can be helpful for team-building

Hotel

 * Arrange late check-ins and late check-outs as needed to coordinate with flights

Coordination and communication

 * The offsite "steering committee" should meet weekly or biweekly before the event (e.g. owner, logistics person, faciliator(s))
 * Create a shared google drive folder for the event, to hold meeting notes, photos, etc.
 * If etherpads are used for meeting notes, create a central list containing links to all of them
 * Set up a roster spreadsheet, listing attendees, flight arrival/departure, airport-hotel transport
 * Invite all attendees to a dedicated google hangout chat, to allow communication via smartphones
 * Create a list of needed supplies, with as much detail as necessary (e.g. chisel-point pens or 3x5" post-its)
 * Consider setting up a google calendar specific to the event, and invite all participants to enable it
 * It doesn't have to break out every individual session, but that may be helpful in some cases
 * Include breakfasts, dinners, and group outings
 * Share the draft schedule with attendees in advance
 * If there will be lightning talks, try to get everyone to send their materials to one person, to avoid having to switch computers between every speaker

Recreation/team-building/unstructured time

 * Focus on taking advantage of the team all being in one place
 * Unstructured (e.g. "hacking") time can be both productive and great for team-building; the value of informal conversations tends to be under-valued
 * Team recreation (e.g. sightseeing) can be excellent for team-building
 * Consider scheduling recreation at the start of the offsite (to break the ice) or in the middle (to break up the monotony)
 * Half-day structured, half-day unstructured has worked well for several teams
 * Unstructured time the first morning can be a nice way to allow jet-lagged people to wake up

Supplies

 * Flipchart easels (ideally sturdy ones); having 2 per session is much better than just 1, and 3 is even better
 * Flipchart paper (assume 20+ sheets per day, depending on the even format)
 * Flipchart pens (at least 4 colors, and more is better; chisel point is better than bullet point)
 * Post-its (specify sizes and colors)
 * Standard or thin "Sharpie" markers (1+ per attendee) are much more readable on post-its than ballpoint pens
 * Rubber bands (to roll up flipcharts)
 * Masking/painters tape (2+ rolls)
 * Scissors
 * Consider name tags if everyone doesn't already know each other really well)
 * Whiteboards can help (but be sure to photograph them before they get erased!)
 * Make sure the facilitator(s) will have access to the supplies the day before the event starts
 * If session notes or other supplies need to return to the home office after the event, plan a shipping box in advance
 * Most supplies can be taken by people in their luggage, but rolled session notes are very large
 * Reminder to facilitators: You will be standing A LOT! Wear very comfortable shoes.

On-site preparation

 * Facilitator should create a "punchlist" of materials that need to be prepared for the first day
 * Ideally prepare the first day's materials during the previous afternoon/evening
 * Check the room sizes, table/chair layout, lighting, A/V equipment, flipchart easels, wall space for post-its, etc.
 * Check that all the supplies arrived, in correct quantities and styles
 * Find out what you can attach to the walls, and how (e.g. tape, pins, etc.)
 * Touch base with the event owner and other key stakeholders
 * Learn where in town you can buy more supplies, if needed

Start of the event

 * At the start of the first day, share the overall offsite high-level agenda with the group
 * Have some activity that allows everyone to at least learn everyone else's name
 * If there are new team members, give them a special welcome
 * Point out where the restrooms and exits are, where people can get water/beverages, smoking areas, etc.
 * Consider starting with "hopes and concerns (or fears)" and/or "working agreements" sessions
 * They each have value
 * Plus they give the group a chance to practice with stacking or other facilitation methods
 * Create a "Parking lot" sheet to capture ideas that don't fit within the current session
 * People arriving after the opening ceremony should be briefed on the working agreements, norms, etc. when they arrive

Working agreements

 * You can come with a list and have the group edit it, or you can show up with a blank page
 * A few possible recommendations, but some may not be appropriate for some groups or some types of events
 * "No devices unless you are presenting to the group"
 * "Respect, e.g. be on time, and no side conversations"
 * “Inspect/adapt”
 * “It’s your offsite”

Start of each day

 * Each morning, it is helpful to start with some kind of checkin that gets everyone in the spirit of participating
 * Each morning, share each day's detailed agenda
 * Look for opportunities to drop planned sessions if they aren't the best use of time
 * Each morning after the first, go over the previous day's retro notes with attendees, pointing out what will be changed as a result

Start of each session

 * Be clear about the goal(s) of this session
 * Including whether it is more philosophical or action-oriented
 * Clearly explain the format/structure of the session. Examples:
 * If it is brainstorming, remind people not to be negative about any ideas during the generation phase
 * If people will be moving around the room, explain how that will work
 * Make sure the important roles are filled: Facilitator, timekeeper, scribe, etc.

Facilitation techniques

 * Find a way to have people not talk at the same time, such as:
 * Use the "stacking" method, with people raising hands (Need link to description and advice about stacking)
 * In larger groups, a stack size of 5 seemed to work well at times, but 10 worked better at other times
 * Within a session, consider trying to separate topic-generation from deeper discussions on a topic
 * Use a "talking stick" to be clear who is speaking (everyone else should be listening)
 * An alternative is to use a rubber ball, and the speaker bounces it to the next speaker when they finish
 * Take notes as appropriate
 * (Should link here to a 10-point "how-to")
 * If someone who is not trained in taking notes is recruited, give them a quick mini-lesson
 * Disruptive people
 * If someone is being disruptive often but at a low level, speak with them privately between sessions
 * Avoiding going off-topic or getting into the weeds
 * Have a signal that people can use if they feel the conversation is off-track
 * To measure the level of consensus, consider using "Gradients of agreement"
 * Watch for opportunities to allow groups to self-organize, and encourage it when it happens

Time management

 * Strongly encourage everyone to show up on time or early
 * Start sessions on time, even if not everyone is there ("reward those who showed up on time")
 * Remind people how valuable face-time is; don't waste it!
 * Enlist a timekeeper or find another way to watch the clock so each session ends on time
 * Ending each session and each day on time builds trust and credibility as a facilitator
 * Within a session be aware of what topics might deserve to run longer than expected, and which do not
 * Be honest with the group if you are behind schedule, and find the best way(s) to handle it, such as:
 * Drop some optional material
 * Take over some of the "unstructured" time
 * Compress some less important sessions
 * During the event, new topics will come up that are worth discussing; be willing to adjust the original plan to accommodate them
 * Consider having a daily "kanban board" showing sessions and breaks, so people know what is upcoming and can visually see progress
 * Facilitators need breaks too, but often spend breaks prepping for the next session
 * No suggestions here yet, but wanted to raise awareness

Documentation

 * Although taking notes electronically might sound more efficient, writing on flipcharts is more visible and keeps people more involved
 * At the end of each day, take (digital) photos of every flip chart, post-it collection, or other artifact
 * Upload the photos to a shared drive right away, for archival backup
 * A "group photo" is a nice way for the team to remember the event later
 * Plan for a tripod and/or find a volunteer to snap the photo

End of each session

 * Summarize action items, and make sure each has ONE person who will follow up on it
 * Get someone to agree to transcribe the notes (which will be digitally photographed) into text form

End of day

 * Clearly share the evening plans (e.g. team dinners) and morning plans (e.g. start time)
 * Quickly go through the parking lot to see if anything should be addressed the following day
 * At the end of each day, hold a retrospective with attendees
 * A simple +/delta or strengths/improvables format seems to work well
 * Each evening, facilitators should go over the retrospective notes
 * Each evening, facilitators should also have their own "faciliretro" to look for opportunities for improvement that the attendees might not have noticed or mentioned
 * Each evening (or the following morning), write up a "punchlist" of all the materials that will be needed the following day
 * Each evening, write as many of the next day's charts as possible, to avoid crazy mornings

End of event

 * Go through the parking lot, to make sure everything has an owner for follow-up after the event
 * Have a whole-event retrospective near the end of the last day
 * At the start of the final retro, quickly review the offsite goals (if they were explicit) and "hopes and fears" (if the group did that exercise at the start)
 * Consider some kind of "closing ceremony", where people share something personal: Something they learned, something they appreciated that someone said or did, etc.
 * Update the list of things to do back home after the event

After it's over

 * Allocate (substantial) time to consolidate the notes, publish any public artifacts, follow up on action items, etc.
 * Get all the photos in one place, and give the files names that will allow someone to easily find what they are looking for
 * Transcribe any especially valuable notes into text form so they will be searchable
 * Post any great ideas from retrospectives back to this page