Learning Launch

Challenge    I am a member of my school’s marketing club and our challenge is to improve the workflow  (activities and projects) within the department in order to increase sales in the online channel  and to spend marketing budgets on the right campaigns. The project scope includes the  online marketing department composed of ten employees, as well as the larger marketing  department and IT department, with whom we work closely. The project is limited to internal  resources (i.e., budget and employee time). The project should not exceed 30 business days  and the solution should include an even distribution of working hours amongst the team  members. We will focus on trying to uncover what our team members, as well as key  stakeholders within the larger marketing department and IT department, consider to be  ineffective or problematic with regard to the workflow.     Selection     Our team has already gone through several design thinking activities/tools, so we are ready to  try the learning launch tool. Broadly speaking, the learning launch is an experiment meant to  quickly test an idea and prototype.     Application     For our first learning launch, we focused on the structure/execution of our online marketing  tasks. In particular, we wanted to see if we could structure our tasks, projects, and processes  to adapt the methods of Scrum project management for our work (e.g., time boxed, daily,  specific meetings, reviews, etc.) in an effort to become more agile. This tested our assumption  that the structure and execution were the main causes of our workflow challenge. Our team  went through a two-day training with a Scrum project management coach. Next, we went  through five workshops to structure our tasks and processes in a more agile way. These two  sessions occurred within in a three-week timeframe. We expected to produce a document  with a clear description of our new, more agile processes/workflow. For our second learning  launch, we focused on gaining clarity about our tasks and priorities. This tested our  assumption that our prioritization of tasks was the main cause of our workflow challenge. Our  team completed an anonymous survey. Additionally, five key stakeholders from the larger  marketing department and IT department also completed an anonymous survey. The surveys  included questions about our new, proposed process, understanding the process and the  prioritization of tasks, and feelings about the change, and were conducted within a one-week  timeframe.

Insight     By applying the learning launch tool, our team identified our assumptions and designed  launches to test these assumptions. Additionally, we thought through anticipated results,  expecting to find that a more agile approach would improve our workflow, and that both our  team and the key stakeholders would be fairly open to the new prioritization of tasks and  process. Our actual results were slightly different from what we anticipated: while our team  was open to the prioritization of tasks and process, the key stakeholders in the larger  marketing department and IT department expressed some concerns. Moving forward, our  team will review this insight and incorporate it into future launch designs. The ongoing  incorporation of insight is particularly important at this stage, as launches come before a full  rollout in the design thinking timeline.     Approach     Given that our team has already gone through several design thinking activities/tools and are  at this stage in the timeline, the learning launch is the appropriate tool. As previously  mentioned, our team needs to review the insight gained from our first two launches and  incorporate this insight into future launch designs. Future launch designs should reflect  insight gained, progress made, and come closer to a compelling solution ready for full rollout.


Learning Launch Challenge I am a member of my school ’s marketing club and our challenge is to improve the workflow ( activities and projects ) within the department in order to increase sales in the online channel and to spend marketing budgets on the right campaigns . The project scope includes the online marketing department composed of ten employees , as well as the larger marketing department and IT department , with whom we work closely . The project is limited to internal resources ( i.e. , budget and employee time ) . The project should not exceed 30 business days and the solution should include an even distribution of working hours amongst the team members . We will focus on trying to uncover what our team members , as well as key stakeholders within the larger marketing department and IT department , consider to be ineffective or problematic with regard to the workflow . Selection Our team has already gone through several design thinking activities / tools , so we are ready to try the learning launch tool . Broadly speaking , the learning launch is an experiment meant to quickly test an idea and prototype . Application For our first learning launch , we focused on the structure / execution of our online marketing tasks . In particular , we wanted to see if we could structure our tasks , projects , and processes to adapt the methods of Scrum project management for our work ( e.g. , time boxed , daily , specific meetings , reviews , etc . ) in an effort to become more agile . This tested our assumption that the structure and execution were the main causes of our workflow challenge . Our team went through a two - day training with a Scrum project management coach . Next , we went through five workshops to structure our tasks and processes in a more agile way . These two sessions occurred within in a three - week timeframe . We expected to produce a document with a clear description of our new , more agile processes / workflow . For our second learning launch , we focused on gaining clarity about our tasks and priorities . This tested our assumption that our prioritization of tasks was the main cause of our workflow challenge . Our team completed an anonymous survey . Additionally , five key stakeholders from the larger marketing department and IT department also completed an anonymous survey . The surveys included questions about our new , proposed process , understanding the process and the prioritization of tasks , and feelings about the change , and were conducted within a one - week timeframe . Insight By applying the learning launch tool , our team identified our assumptions and designed launches to test these assumptions . Additionally , we thought through anticipated results , expecting to find that a more agile approach would improve our workflow , and that both our team and the key stakeholders would be fairly open to the new prioritization of tasks and process . Our actual results were slightly different from what we anticipated : while our team was open to the prioritization of tasks and process , the key stakeholders in the larger marketing department and IT department expressed some concerns . Moving forward , our team will review this insight and incorporate it into future launch designs . The ongoing incorporation of insight is particularly important at this stage , as launches come before a full rollout in the design thinking timeline . Approach Given that our team has already gone through several design thinking activities / tools and are at this stage in the timeline , the learning launch is the appropriate tool . As previously mentioned , our team needs to review the insight gained from our first two launches and incorporate this insight into future launch designs . Future launch designs should reflect insight gained , progress made , and come closer to a compelling solution ready for full rollout .