Working across a large portfolio with an every-expanding list of channels and tactics, resourcing can be a total nightmare. Here’s how we addressed it.
Standardized Time: Instead of 12 irregular months, we now break the year into 13 four-week periods. We offer 12 of these for project work, and we reserve the 13th for reviews, off-sites, and knowledge-sharing.
This had amazing knock-on effects for our internal operations that have made it one of the single most important changes we made.
Why it matters: Some projects need the just right combination of talent. Others need long-term commitment. We can offer both options with minimal disruption. If people need time to devote to a personal project, or want to try working on the business rather than in the business, we can easily take on those requests.
The big picture:
Fixed set of start dates. All our projects are delivered within a single four-week increment (which we call “Cycles”).
Deliberate. About how we staff teams. Because everything starts and ends on shared dates, we can be flexible when we need to be and rigid when we don’t.
Intentional. About how we plan for team meetings, governance, and the overall rhythms of the workplace.
Behind the scenes: Unfortunately, the success of this concept had an unintended negative consequence: it put an even brighter light on our planning, resourcing and scheduling issues. It was clearer than ever that our teams were pulled in too many directions at once.
