As with all moves, there are about a million tasks that need to be done. So how are we managing all of these tasks, while still doing work for our clients?
Ten years ago, we set up a SCRUM board for the weekend of the move. This time around, we’re using weekly sprints and a SCRUM board for the entire process. Here’s how we’re managing the work:
- We have a Move Team that meets twice a week to see how we’re doing against the mammoth task list and timeline that we established a couple of months ago.
- The timeline, tasks and decisions are stored in a Google doc. The tasks are grouped by week, so in essence, we’re doing one week sprints.
- Maria is in charge of managing the Google doc, marking things done, adding details, and documenting decisions. I guess you could say she’s the SCRUM Master. Even though she’s remote, she knows everything happening as part of this move.
- I’m the Project Owner because I’m the one who ultimately decided that we needed to move. And I make the high level decisions about what we’re moving, what the new office will look like, timing and budget.
- To get the zillion tasks done, we set up a SCRUM Board in our lobby. Starting Monday, the Move Team has been writing down tasks that need to be done and sticking them on a TO DO board.
- Staff have been grabbing tasks and doing them. Some tasks take 15 minutes, some longer. Once a task is done, the post-it is moved to the DONE board.
- Move Team members add tasks to the TO DO board as they come up. The list of TO DO items will likely grow as we get closer to the move.
The SCRUM Board works because:
- Everyone can help, according to their availability and schedule.
- We have a visual on the amount of work to be done.
- The move becomes a shared responsibility, not just a task for the admin team or the Move Team.
It’s only been a couple of days but already, the results have been amazing.
During the actual move weekend, we’ll have music and food so that the task of setting up the new office isn’t a drag, but rather a party and a celebration!
