Building Blocks: Understanding Our ‘What’
Background
We’ve all been in those meetings you know the ones where people are saying pretty much the same thing in a slightly different way. When thinking of a problem or solution, everyone has their own mental model of what it looks like, and it can be difficult to find alignment when there are a lot of details to sort out. Sometimes, a designated team member takes point on gathering feedback and thoughts, and while that may work for some team arrangements, it can be quite time-consuming for others.
Goals & Objectives
The goal of ‘Building Blocks’ is to provide a framework that all members of a team can use to align on an idea or implementation by being given a structured format to fill out.
Prerequisites
To clarify, building blocks are meant for the times you know the general idea of a solution but need a way to iron out details and ensure that every team member’s thoughts are taken into consideration.
Materials
Scratch paper, a Google Doc, or a Word doc
How It Works
[1] The team needs to align on what elements they want to iron out the specifics for. An example of the one provided by my professors, Gray Garmon and Katie Krummeck, is provided below. It should be customized for each team’s purpose. For example, our project required us to consider events, rituals, and space which may be elements that are not necessary for the work you and your team are doing.
[2] They should agree to have filled out ‘Building Blocks’ by the next meeting which hopefully at least a day away. This will give people more time to process their thoughts instead of anxiously waiting to jump in to offer them during a meeting.
[3] At the beginning of the following meeting, each team member should be given the opportunity to present their thoughts. Then, if there is a PM or designed team lead, they can go through all of the written-out ideas to come up with a cohesive solution. If there is not a formal person that is spearheading the project, then the team can walk through each element one-by-one to come to a consensus.
From my design capstone experience, aligning ideas for each element is not as difficult as it seems as people naturally seem to get the best ideas for elements they are most comfortable with and/or are most passionate about. If it seems that your team is still not coming to a consensus, you can put that element on pause and come back to it or take a vote and move on. The following is a filled-out version of the ‘Building Blocks’ from my team’s capstone project.
Advantages
Building Blocks are a great way to ensure that:
- Everyone’s voice is heard
- Different avenues are documented for future reference
Disadvantages
Building Blocks can lead to a few problems which include:
- More time spent on diverging ideas rather than converging ones
- Increased difficulty in getting people to let go of their original ideas
Other Applications
The ‘Building Blocks’ framework is great for finding common ground on the most contentious points. If your team is already aligned on a timeline, communication strategy, and roles then focus on the components of the project where things are not as clear and defined. That could be misalignment on the mission, who the key stakeholders are, or the prioritization of different features.
Takeaways
Initially, the ‘Building Blocks’ worksheet was meant to be done together, but my group and I realized that in our excitement to share our thoughts with each other we sometimes missed out on what the previous team member said. By writing down all of our own ideas and sharing them one by one, we were able to slow down and pay attention to each other’s ideas rather than focusing on our own. As a result, my capstone team is thrilled with the solution we’ve collaboratively come up with as each member’s ideas are woven into our work.
Thanks for reading!
