Learning	
  Launch

Challenge	
   I	
  work	
  at	
  an	
  advertising	
  agency.	
  The	
  most	
  of	
  as	
  are	
  between	
  20-­‐40	
  years	
  old,	
  with	
   approximately	
  the	
  same	
  academic	
  level	
  and	
  similar	
  interest.	
  Some	
  of	
  us	
  are	
  creative	
   people,	
  and	
  others	
  are	
  account	
  managers,	
  so	
  we	
  have	
  different	
  points	
  of	
  view	
  about	
   how	
  to	
  approach	
  each	
  new	
  campaign,	
  and	
  every	
  one	
  of	
  us	
  needs	
  a	
  different	
  kind	
  of	
   information	
  to	
  develop	
  our	
  work.	
  Our	
  main	
  client	
  requieres	
  quick	
  responses	
  because	
   its	
  market	
  evolve	
  very	
  fast.	
  This	
  causes	
  that	
  we	
  usually	
  work	
  in	
  a	
  hurry,	
  and	
  nobody	
   knows	
  what	
  exactly	
  the	
  other	
  people	
  knows,	
  so	
  we	
  get	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
  misunderstanding	
   between	
  us	
  that	
  cause	
  a	
  bad	
  atmosphere	
  at	
  the	
  agency.	
  	
   I'd	
  like	
  to	
  reach	
  any	
  method	
  or	
  technique	
  that	
  help	
  us	
  to	
  improve	
  our	
  information	
  flow	
   and,	
  moreover,	
  improve	
  the	
  atmosphere	
  we	
  are	
  working	
  in.	
  	
   	
   Selection	
   First	
  of	
  all,	
  I	
  realized	
  that	
  we	
  had	
  a	
  problem	
  that	
  admit	
  the	
  application	
  of	
  Design	
   Thinking,	
  because	
  we	
  had	
  no	
  data	
  about	
  past	
  moments	
  and	
  we	
  had	
  to	
  make	
  an	
  effort	
   to	
  solve	
  everyday	
  problem,	
  so	
  we	
  focused	
  on	
  the	
  present.	
  The	
  tool	
  we	
  chose,	
  after	
   knowing	
  deeply	
  each	
  other	
  and	
  listening	
  carefully	
  between	
  us,	
  was	
  Learning	
  Launch,	
   because	
  we	
  agreed	
  on	
  a	
  specific	
  need:	
  we	
  require	
  any	
  kind	
  of	
  efficiency	
  tool	
  to	
   manage	
  information	
  flow	
  that	
  keeps	
  every	
  one	
  of	
  us	
  acquainted	
  about	
  all	
  the	
  projects.	
  	
   	
   Application	
   Asking	
  for	
  advice	
  to	
  friends	
  from	
  other	
  agencies	
  -­‐secondary	
  research-­‐,	
  we	
  discovered	
   that	
  they	
  were	
  using	
  a	
  tool	
  they	
  call	
  'status',	
  that	
  is	
  an	
  excel	
  document	
  with	
   significative	
  fields	
  about	
  people	
  involved	
  in	
  each	
  project,	
  the	
  different	
  steps,	
  the	
  time	
   it	
  takes	
  every	
  step	
  and	
  the	
  deadline	
  before	
  the	
  project	
  should	
  be	
  ended.	
  So	
  we	
   develop	
  our	
  own	
  'status'	
  document,	
  that	
  involves	
  those	
  fields:	
  Project	
  /	
  Account	
   Manager	
  /	
  Creative	
  team	
  members	
  /	
  State	
  of	
  affairs	
  /	
  Deadline.	
  And	
  we	
  proceed	
  to	
   test	
  it	
  in	
  order	
  to	
  see	
  if	
  it	
  worked.	
  	
   	
   On	
  monday,	
  we	
  had	
  a	
  meeting	
  in	
  to	
  talk	
  each	
  other	
  about	
  which	
  was	
  our	
  actual	
   working	
  situation,	
  and	
  after	
  that	
  we	
  completed	
  the	
  sheet.	
  Every	
  single	
  person	
  at	
  the	
   agency	
  received	
  their	
  copy	
  of	
  that	
  sheet,	
  so	
  everyone	
  can	
  see	
  at	
  a	
  glance	
  what	
  is	
  the	
   big	
  picture	
  of	
  the	
  agency.	
  We	
  spent	
  a	
  week	
  working	
  with	
  the	
  help	
  of	
  that	
  tool,	
  but	
  we	
   realized	
  that	
  we	
  haven't	
  consider	
  the	
  'client	
  feedback	
  episodes',	
  that	
  should	
  be	
   displayed	
  on	
  the	
  document,	
  because	
  when	
  the	
  client	
  rejects	
  a	
  job,	
  this	
  job	
  comes	
  back	
   to	
  as	
  and	
  we	
  need	
  to	
  rework,	
  while	
  we	
  are	
  working	
  on	
  other	
  projects.	
  What	
  could	
  we	
   do?	
  Add	
  a	
  new	
  job	
  field?	
  Avoid	
  that	
  question	
  till	
  the	
  next	
  meeting?	
   	
  	
   We	
  had	
  to	
  stop	
  the	
  experiment	
  and	
  modify	
  our	
  'status'	
  sheet.	
  We	
  decided	
  to	
  add	
  a	
   new	
  field:	
  Client	
  OK.	
  So	
  we	
  could	
  know	
  if	
  we	
  need	
  to	
  rework	
  on	
  it.	
  But...	
  things	
   changes	
  very	
  quickly,	
  so	
  it's	
  enough	
  to	
  meet	
  once	
  a	
  week	
  to	
  have	
  our	
  sheet	
  updated?	
   No.	
  So	
  we	
  decided	
  to	
  set	
  a	
  little	
  meeting	
  every	
  day:	
  a	
  coffee	
  pause	
  to	
  talk	
  about	
   changes,	
  only	
  for	
  introducing	
  information	
  in	
  the	
  sheet	
  about	
  changes.

After	
  that,	
  we	
  found	
  another	
  problem:	
  our	
  sheet	
  was	
  perfect	
  and	
  contained	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
   information	
  but...	
  How	
  could	
  we	
  know	
  what	
  is	
  more	
  important?	
  At	
  this	
  moment	
  we	
   decided	
  to	
  add	
  a	
  traffic-­‐light-­‐color-­‐system:	
  red	
  for	
  urgent	
  works;	
  yellow	
  for	
  mid	
   importance	
  works;	
  and	
  green	
  non	
  priority	
  works.	
  Of	
  course,	
  the	
  color	
  status	
  of	
  a	
   project	
  had	
  to	
  change	
  and	
  evolve	
  from	
  green	
  to	
  red	
  during	
  the	
  week:	
  another	
  task	
  to	
   do	
  at	
  coffee	
  time...	
  Ok,	
  too	
  many	
  meetings	
  for	
  us,	
  specially	
  when	
  we	
  are	
  on	
  a	
   hurry.	
  Finally	
  we	
  decided	
  to	
  appoint	
  a	
  manager	
  for	
  status	
  sheet:	
  a	
  person	
  who	
  could	
   spent	
  an	
  hour	
  every	
  monday	
  and	
  15	
  minutes	
  every	
  day	
  to	
  update	
  the	
  status	
  sheet.	
  Of	
   course,	
  the	
  manager	
  it's	
  me,	
  the	
  planner.

As	
  we	
  can	
  see	
  on	
  Learning	
  Launches	
  video,	
  we	
  decided	
  to	
  test	
  a	
  cheap	
  and	
  convenient	
   time	
  managing	
  tool	
  as	
  soon	
  we	
  could.	
  We	
  could	
  invest	
  in	
  some	
  kind	
  of	
  productivity	
   software,	
  and	
  spent	
  many	
  time	
  and	
  resources	
  on	
  training	
  every	
  single	
  employee	
  to	
  use	
   it,	
  with	
  no	
  guarantee	
  of	
  success.	
  By	
  less	
  price,	
  we	
  achieve	
  an	
  efficient	
  self	
  made	
  tool	
   that	
  we	
  can	
  evolve	
  ourselves	
  every	
  time	
  we	
  need	
  in	
  order	
  it	
  fits	
  our	
  desires.	
  	
   	
  	
   Insight	
   We	
  discovered	
  and	
  learn	
  a	
  lot	
  about	
  ourselves	
  and	
  our	
  ways	
  of	
  working,	
  and	
  now	
  we	
   have	
  to	
  admit	
  a	
  lot	
  of	
  mistakes	
  that	
  we	
  have	
  made	
  during	
  a	
  long	
  time	
  before	
  we	
  tried	
   to	
  improve	
  our	
  working	
  process.	
  We	
  had	
  a	
  narrow	
  view	
  of	
  the	
  processes	
  because	
  we	
   only	
  knew	
  the	
  things	
  that	
  every	
  one	
  of	
  us	
  were	
  working	
  in,	
  and	
  we	
  were	
  defending	
   different	
  ways	
  of	
  solving	
  problems	
  instead	
  find	
  a	
  new	
  path	
  between	
  everybody.	
  It	
  was	
   also	
  very	
  helpful	
  to	
  listen	
  to	
  people	
  from	
  other	
  agencies.	
  Listening,	
  definitely,	
  was	
  the	
   correct	
  answer.	
  It	
  was	
  very	
  inspiring	
  for	
  me	
  the	
  Good	
  Kitchen	
  case,	
  because	
  it	
   portrayes	
  the	
  meaning	
  of	
  listen	
  to	
  the	
  people	
  that	
  is	
  involved	
  in	
  your	
  very	
  own	
   problems,	
  when	
  you	
  thing	
  (wrongly)	
  that	
  you’re	
  alone.	
  	
   	
   Approach	
   Next	
  time	
  we	
  could	
  invest	
  more	
  time	
  in	
  testing	
  more	
  than	
  one	
  hypothesis,	
  as	
  long	
  that	
   it	
  were	
  as	
  cheap	
  as	
  the	
  one	
  we	
  developed.	
  I	
  think	
  we	
  settled	
  very	
  son,	
  in	
  spite	
  of	
  Lawan	
  and	
  Wolff	
  advice.	
  Our	
  tool	
  is	
  nice	
  but,	
  could	
  it	
  be	
  different,	
  easier	
  and	
   even	
  better?


Learning Launch Challenge I work at an advertising agency . The most of as are between 20-­‐40 years old , with approximately the same academic level and similar interest . Some of us are creative people , and others are account managers , so we have different points of view about how to approach each new campaign , and every one of us needs a different kind of information to develop our work . Our main client requieres quick responses because its market evolve very fast . This causes that we usually work in a hurry , and nobody knows what exactly the other people knows , so we get a lot of misunderstanding between us that cause a bad atmosphere at the agency . I 'd like to reach any method or technique that help us to improve our information flow and , moreover , improve the atmosphere we are working in . Selection First of all , I realized that we had a problem that admit the application of Design Thinking , because we had no data about past moments and we had to make an effort to solve everyday problem , so we focused on the present . The tool we chose , after knowing deeply each other and listening carefully between us , was Learning Launch , because we agreed on a specific need : we require any kind of efficiency tool to manage information flow that keeps every one of us acquainted about all the projects . Application Asking for advice to friends from other agencies -­‐secondary research-­‐ , we discovered that they were using a tool they call ' status ' , that is an excel document with significative fields about people involved in each project , the different steps , the time it takes every step and the deadline before the project should be ended . So we develop our own ' status ' document , that involves those fields : Project / Account Manager / Creative team members / State of affairs / Deadline . And we proceed to test it in order to see if it worked . On monday , we had a meeting in to talk each other about which was our actual working situation , and after that we completed the sheet . Every single person at the agency received their copy of that sheet , so everyone can see at a glance what is the big picture of the agency . We spent a week working with the help of that tool , but we realized that we have n't consider the ' client feedback episodes ' , that should be displayed on the document , because when the client rejects a job , this job comes back to as and we need to rework , while we are working on other projects . What could we do ? Add a new job field ? Avoid that question till the next meeting ? We had to stop the experiment and modify our ' status ' sheet . We decided to add a new field : Client OK . So we could know if we need to rework on it . But ... things changes very quickly , so it 's enough to meet once a week to have our sheet updated ? No . So we decided to set a little meeting every day : a coffee pause to talk about changes , only for introducing information in the sheet about changes . After that , we found another problem : our sheet was perfect and contained a lot of information but ... How could we know what is more important ? At this moment we decided to add a traffic-­‐light-­‐color-­‐system : red for urgent works ; yellow for mid importance works ; and green non priority works . Of course , the color status of a project had to change and evolve from green to red during the week : another task to do at coffee time ... Ok , too many meetings for us , specially when we are on a hurry . Finally we decided to appoint a manager for status sheet : a person who could spent an hour every monday and 15 minutes every day to update the status sheet . Of course , the manager it 's me , the planner . As we can see on Learning Launches video , we decided to test a cheap and convenient time managing tool as soon we could . We could invest in some kind of productivity software , and spent many time and resources on training every single employee to use it , with no guarantee of success . By less price , we achieve an efficient self made tool that we can evolve ourselves every time we need in order it fits our desires . Insight We discovered and learn a lot about ourselves and our ways of working , and now we have to admit a lot of mistakes that we have made during a long time before we tried to improve our working process . We had a narrow view of the processes because we only knew the things that every one of us were working in , and we were defending different ways of solving problems instead find a new path between everybody . It was also very helpful to listen to people from other agencies . Listening , definitely , was the correct answer . It was very inspiring for me the Good Kitchen case , because it portrayes the meaning of listen to the people that is involved in your very own problems , when you thing ( wrongly ) that you ’re alone . Approach Next time we could invest more time in testing more than one hypothesis , as long that it were as cheap as the one we developed . I think we settled very son , in spite of Lawan and Wolff advice . Our tool is nice but , could it be different , easier and even better ?