Project culture canvas

PROJECT CULTURECANVAS10 steps on how to play nice and hack project culture.

A LOOK INTO THE FUTURE OF WORK.

THIS BOOKCONSISTSOF 2 PARTS.1

2 THE CULTURE CANVAS: TO BRING THE FUTURE OF WORK TO TODAY.

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“ SMALL GROUPS OF PEOPLE CAN HAVE A REALLY HUGE IMPACT.”

Larry Page, Co-Founder, CEO, Alphabet Inc.

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The future of work is here. Project teams are distributed, people work from home, email is

being dumped for Slack or Basecamp. Everything is agile or lean.

Or both. Self-managing teams are growing in popularity.

But deadlines are still being missed while everyone talks about

new cloud productivity apps, nothing has really changed.

There’s more noise than ever before.

Maybe it’s the tons of email you receive. The endless meetings

you attend, or the conference calls with multiple countries that

never start or end on time.

Maybe you see the possibilities for working remotely, running

projects in a more effective way, or you crave a better work-life

balance.

Whatever the reason to download this book, we get it.

We’ve been there. As have many of our clients.

WHY YOU NEED THIS BOOK

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On our journey to the future of work, we realised that there are

a few decisions that need to be made upfront for a project team

to be successful. We laid them out onto a single page and realised

we had something worth sharing.

We’ve designed this book to take a complex topic - the future of

work - and make it actionable by answering the most important

question…

Where do you start?

The book’s goal is to get you moving.

In a one hour read, we will show you how to:

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Define the first steps towards the future of work

Apply those steps using the Culture Canvas

Be more effective, get more done, in less time, with less stress

Transform your organization, project by project

GLOBAL TRENDS

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Our mindsets are changing.Highly skilled workers are seeking compensation beyond

money. Many are choosing temporary projects over permanent

employment, preferring flexibility and autonomy over the

security of a regular paycheck.

By 2020, 40% of the total U.S workforce will be freelance.

That’s 60 million people. Globally, the trend is not far off.

This shift is forcing corporations to re-think their traditional

9 to 5 mentality in order to compete for the best talent.

TALENT IS FREE(LANCE)

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BY 2020 40% OF THE U.S WORFORCE WILL BEFREELANCE.THAT’S 60 MILLIONPEOPLE.

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“ WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKS HERE RATHER THAN WHAT WORKED AT ANY OTHER ORGANIZATION.”

Laszlo Bock, SVP of People Operations, Google

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Austere head offices are making room for working remotely,

either from a home office, co-working space, or anywhere in

between. With 4G and Wi-Fi connections available everywhere,

we can now work wherever and whenever suits us best.

This raises key questions:

If employees aren’t at the office, how do you keep people connected?

How does this influence company culture?

Are they more or less productive?

WI-FI AND COFFEE

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“ IF YOU WANT SOMETHING NEW, YOU HAVE TO STOP DOING SOMETHING OLD.”

Peter Drucker, Father of Management Science

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Conference calls have replaced meetings, but they still retain the same old cultural hang-ups, like printing out emails.

We’ve been taken over by technology that helps us to be

more efficient, yet reduces our effectiveness in getting things

(not tasks) done.

It’s time to leverage the possibilities the future of work

has to offer, which global businesses like Automattic, Buffer,

and Github have been doing for years.

EFFECTIVE, NOT EFFICIENT, TECHNOLOGY

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“ CULTURE IS SIMPLY A SHARED WAY OF DOING SOMETHING WITH A PASSION.”

Brian Chesky, Co-Founder, CEO, Airbnb

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We know that more technology is not the solution, it’s people

that make for a great company. It’s people that influence and

make for a great culture.

We view this book as a call for a culture change, not by

employing armies of consultants with new vision and values

statements, but through small changes, one project at a time.

It leads us to the ultimate question:

How do you create a culture?

ARE YOU A HUMAN RESOURCE?

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Research shows that group norms, or behaviour when they meet, is the most important indicator of a team’s success, more so than how smart all of the individuals are.

This is backed up by research at Google, who identified 4 things

a team needs to be successful.

1. Safety: Can I share ideas without being ridiculed?

2. Dependability: Can we count on each other to do high

quality work on time?

3. Structure & Clarity: Are the goals, roles, and what we are

trying to achieve (and how) clear.

4. Purpose: Why is what we are doing going to matter?

We used this research as part of the thinking for the canvas,

to create a foundation for a successful project culture.

HACKING TEAM CULTURE

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CULTURE IS WHAT YOU DO CONSISTENTLY

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“ OVER THE YEARS WE LEARNED THAT IF WE ASKED PEOPLE TO RELY ON LOGIC AND COMMON SENSE INSTEAD OF ON FORMAL POLICIES, MOST OF THE TIME WE WOULD GET BETTER RESULTS, AND AT LOWER COST.”

Patty McCord, Chief Talent Officer, Netflix

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MEETTHECULTURECANVAS

To hack a culture for a team, we need to make what we do regularly the most important thing.

We’ve identified the 10 key decisions all teams working on a project make anyway. Sometimes consciously, but most often unconsciously. If we resolve the obvious, but often overlooked, challenges from the start, it saves time, energy and frustration further down the line. This makes the team function better, allowing us to get the job done with better results.

The changes are either small or simple, and often both and are designed to be actionable in your very next project. There is no need to change everything you do, or to learn a new ‘collaboration language’ before getting started.

The Culture Canvas is a roadmap with room for your own specific needs. We go from left to right, and every block builds on the other.

HOW DOES THE CULTURE CANVAS WORK?

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PURPOSE

WHO - ROLE SHARE INFORMATION

DOING WORK

STOP

GET TO A DECISIONOR SOLVE A PROBLEM

METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

PEOPLE ACTIONS RESULTS

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

PURPOSEWhat is the purpose of the project?Why did you gather as a group?Why is it important to get this project done?

It ensures everyone gets the bigger picture.

Whether it is a part of a larger project or a stand

alone initiative, having the purpose defined in a

way everyone on the team understands, reduces

confusion and frustration in the long term.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

DESIRED OUTCOMESWhat is the end goal?What does success look like?When are we done?What are the deadlines?

While the purpose answers the ‘why’, the outcomes

answers the ‘what’ and the ‘when’. It helps to know

what direction you’re heading in, and what to expect

at the end.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

WHO - ROLEWho is in on the project?What roles are required?

It’s all about people, and what they bring to the

project. Roles can be official (project manager or

developer) or unofficial (comic relief or team shrink).

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

SOCIAL PLAYGROUNDIf you’re working together but are distributed, there are certain agreements to

be made about the ‘when’ and the ‘how’. Differing ideas of urgency or level of

politeness often lead to frustrations. The social playground is a team’s agreement

about expectations.

Availability: When is everyone expected to be available, and for how long?

For example 24/7 or from 10am and 4pm PST?

Responsiveness: How long before you get back to someone during this window?

Emergency: What channel do we use in case of an emergency or outside the

specified time window? For example, a call, SMS or Whatsapp?

Politeness: What is acceptable behavior? For example, does every

interaction start with “Hi, how are you?” or can you get straight to the point?

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

SHARING INFORMATIONWhat tools do we use?How often do we check or how do we indicate that there have been changes?How do we version information?

Every group shares information, whether it is via email, shared directories or print outs.

With a million collaboration tools available, it’s important to pick them according to your

needs, and to be clear about what tool you use for what purpose within this team. Where

so many tools have similar functionality, the fewer the better.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

GET TO A DECISION OR SOLVE A PROBLEMDo we have a clear objective before we meet?What needs to be prepared?What do we need to agree on?How long do we meet for?Do we meet in person or online?Who is responsible for collecting the data?

Solving problems and making decisions can be challenging. Especially in cross

functional, distributed teams. To avoid endless meetings and discussion without

getting anywhere, decide upfront on the format needed, and who is responsible

for delivering it. As an example, for complex decisions, hold a structured

workshop with strict timelines, whether in person or remote. For simpler

decisions, an online vote could work. Think in advance of how to address these

critical situations, so the tools are already in place.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

DOING WORKWhat format is the work being done in?How are tasks being managed?How is individual input meant to be delivered?

People often confuse reading emails or sitting in a

meeting with doing work. This section identifies what

the work really is, how it will be delivered and how tasks

are assigned. Is the work being done as individuals and

reviewed, or is it completed as a group.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

STOPWhat will we stop?What keeps us busy, but is counterproductive?

It’s easier to define what we

will do, once we’ve defined

what we WON’T do.

For example, if you use Slack

for sharing information,

don’t use email.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

METRICS & KPIsHow do we measure success?What metric(s) will we track?What benchmark(s) do we define?How do we collect the data?

We stated what success looks like in the ‘desired

outcomes’ block. This is where we measure success.

It helps identify what we’re looking for from the

beginning. When results are visible and measurable,

it leaves zero room for misunderstanding.

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PURPOSE


DOING WORK

STOP


METRICS & KPIs

RITUALS

DESIRED OUTCOMES

SOCIAL PLAYGROUND

RITUALSMorning catch up over coffee?Greeting everyone on the slack channel when you come online with a movie quote?Weekly retrospective and planning session?

The key to success in developing a culture is defined by

what you do consistently. These actions can become

rituals not because they directly contribute to a result,

but because they create connection within the team.

An easy, effective and actionable method for improving the culture within your next project. A step in the right direction to moving towards the future of work.

If you want to download the digital version: www.culturecanvas.biz

If you’re curious for succes stories: www.culturecanvas.biz/stories

If you want to comment, have feedback or get in touch: www.culturecanvas.biz/contact

If you want more examples, download at: www.culturecanvas.biz/examples

SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT…

THE CULTURE CANVAS.

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Culture CanvasWe transform the way businesses work by changing how teams collaborate. No big fanfare, just small steps that change day-to-day behaviour. We create team norms that are made for new technologies and enable the future of work. The Culture Canvas was developed as a collaboration between &Innovation and Kevin Weijers, as part of the #CoCreateSA project for the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, showcasing collaboration between Dutch and South African innovators. www.culturecanvas.biz

Kevin WeijersWhile being flooded by 150 emails a day working a government job, Kevin said farewell to his inbox in 2013, and his full time employment shortly after. He now helps companies, organisations, and brands all around the world explore the possibilities of the future of work, by running actionable experiments.

Although the future of work is strongly associated with digital collaboration tools, Kevin believes the single most important asset is always the team culture.

#CoCreateSA #CoCreateSA is an initiative of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa to connect counterparts to exchange ideas and innovations for a sustainable future. From 10 until 19 August #CoCreateSA connected &Innovation and Kevin Weijers to work on a challenge: Can we hack culture and help corporates move towards the future of work?

After 10 days of intense collaboration the Culture Canvas and this book were realised. As a result of #CoCreateSA, a partnership is formed. If you want to know more about #CoCreateSA, visit www.cocreatesa.co.za

&InnovationWe are a digital transformation consultancy. We partner with leading, future- focused companies to drive strategic digital innovation and deliver revenue growth. Our team consists of divergent skills and backgrounds, employing proven methodologies to develop new products and services from concept to go-to-market.

We see digital transformation not just as a new interface, but also as the cultural transformation required to make it stick. This book is an example of our work, as are consumer apps, backend APIs, data driven insights and comprehensive business models.

WHO WE ARE

Project culture canvas

Leadership & Management

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