Plays of the month: Prioritize your team’s health before prioritizing the next project

[Kai Becker]

We usually plan some project closing stuff. A little team event with socialising, but also a retrospective for further improvements.

[Shivam Desai]

Well said. I think the rise of this point came where we all were working in the situation of pandemic.

[Dan Breyen]

Gotta celebrate the victory of finishing the project.  It helps put a conclusion to one project before starting another.

[Sidar Yarar]

Thanks for sharing, nice Article 👍

[Ram Kumar Aravindakshan _Adaptavist_]

Thank you for sharing.

[Michelle Yip]

This has been a helpful read!
At times, I find that a little humor injected at the right occasions might help teams. My team and I had a great laugh when we used a cute representation (From Gemma Correll) to help us express our sprint's health (individually and as a team):

[Graham Twine]

Our teams tend to shuffle when new projects kick off so this would not even be on the radar. It should be.

[Manoj Gangwar]

Thanks for sharing... 

[Laurie Sciutti]

This is so important...unfortunately I don't see it happen too often.  This is a good reminder to re-introduce this to the team.  Thank you, @Kristen Roth!

[Collista Lewingdon]

Our team has weekly meetings and while we don't use the health monitor we do use the first 15 minutes to check in on our team and make sure everyone is doing okay. 

[Tomislav Tobijas]

Interesting stuff to read 👀

We'll definitely discuss this internally if we could start practicing something like this.

[Rebekka Heilmann _viadee_]

Great for all teams, even those that don't work on "projects" with a set end but have multiple projects running at the same time. If there is no point in time that's "in between", make time!

[Ankush Bora]

I did try the Health Monitor (an abridged version) sort of to start off. It appears to be something I intend to do periodically for my team. I am still fiddling around with some of the facets that work/may not work for my team in context.

[Marcus Jensen]

Great!

[Josh Shepherd]

@Kristen Roth (good to say hello again!) This is so critical. I'm stealing this to use with my team. Thank you!!!

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

Can't agree more. Paying attention to team health is my number one priority.

[Dan Breyen]

If you don't have the right resources to successfully complete a project, you shouldn't be starting on a new project.  Minimally, if there is an identified gap in your team's health, you need to have a plan to fill that gap so those resources are available to you at the right time you need them.  

But if that's your approach, make sure to not forget onboarding/training, or your project could be delayed.

[Tomislav Tobijas]

This is a good reminder for all teams that are not doing this regularly. I think we, as a team, are trying more and more to point out the importance of having a safe environment within a team and the company. 💚
We might just use some of the available plays during our next pause-and-reset moment.

[Tehmina Aslam]

I love this approach! It's easy to get caught in the rush of moving from one project to the next, but hitting pause to assess our team's wellbeing and overall health is so valuable. Reflecting on strengths and areas for improvement not only gives us clarity but also ensures we’re taking care of the team's dynamics before diving into the next challenge. The Health Monitor Play is a great tool to measure those key attributes and identify areas that need attention. I also think combining it with the My User Manual play is a fantastic way to foster empathy and better understand each team member’s working preferences. This holistic approach helps us ensure we’re working in the best way possible together and setting ourselves up for success. A quick reset can make all the difference!