Challenge​ ​and​ ​Selection     I​ ​work​ ​at​ ​a​ ​social​ ​enterprise​ ​that​ ​offers​ ​life​ ​skills​ ​training​ ​to​ ​university​ ​graduates​ ​and​ ​helps​ ​them  secure​ ​internships​ ​in​ ​SMEs.​ ​I​ ​am​ ​in​ ​charge​ ​of​ ​a​ ​team​ ​of​ ​life​ ​skills​ ​trainers​ ​and​ ​curriculum  development.​ ​Initially,​ ​the​ ​program​ ​schedule​ ​used​ ​to​ ​be​ ​online​ ​on​ ​a​ ​Google​ ​sheet​ ​document.  Trainers​ ​had​ ​to​ ​scroll​ ​down​ ​to​ ​check​ ​what​ ​they​ ​would​ ​be​ ​doing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day.     It​ ​was​ ​also​ ​very​ ​time​ ​consuming​ ​to​ ​create​ ​this​ ​schedule​ ​and​ ​assign​ ​trainers​ ​to​ ​specific​ ​sessions.  As​ ​we​ ​started​ ​having​ ​larger​ ​cohorts,​ ​we​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​split​ ​the​ ​trainees​ ​into​ ​two​ ​groups.​ ​That  meant​ ​that,​ ​two​ ​similar​ ​sessions​ ​would​ ​happen​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time.​ ​We​ ​had​ ​to​ ​have​ ​2​ ​parallel  schedules​ ​making​ ​it​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​confirm​ ​whether​ ​trainers​ ​training​ ​on​ ​the​ ​same​ ​topic,​ ​were​ ​at​ ​par  with​ ​each​ ​other.​ ​All​ ​this​ ​brought​ ​about​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​stress​ ​and​ ​confusion.​ ​We​ ​had​ ​to​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​an  approach​ ​that​ ​could​ ​make​ ​it​ ​easier​ ​to​ ​quickly​ ​tell​ ​one’s​ ​schedule​ ​faster,​ ​and​ ​tell​ ​who​ ​they​ ​could  consult​ ​if​ ​having​ ​a​ ​shared​ ​session.     We​ ​settled​ ​on​ ​the​ ​visualization​ ​tool.​ ​This​ ​tool​ ​isn’t​ ​just​ ​about​ ​drawing,​ ​but​ ​use​ ​of​ ​color​ ​or  symbols​ ​or​ ​photos​ ​to​ ​articulate​ ​thoughts​ ​as​ ​mentioned​ ​in​ ​the​ ​visualization​ ​tool​ ​video​ ​(Week​ ​1).  The​ ​idea​ ​that​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​could​ ​help​ ​people​ ​align​ ​their​ ​thoughts​ ​and​ ​share​ ​their​ ​perspectives  sounded​ ​interesting​ ​and​ ​worth​ ​pursuing.​ ​We​ ​needed​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​effectively​ ​identify​ ​challenges​ ​in  our​ ​schedule​ ​and​ ​find​ ​a​ ​way​ ​have​ ​everyone​ ​on​ ​the​ ​same​ ​page.     Application    We​ ​used​ ​a​ ​flip​ ​chart​ ​which​ ​had​ ​week​ ​1​ ​to​ ​4​ ​on​ ​a​ ​horizontal​ ​plane​ ​written​ ​with​ ​a​ ​marker​ ​and​ ​the  trainers’​ ​names​ ​on​ ​the​ ​vertical​ ​plane.​ ​The​ ​other​ ​sets​ ​of​ ​sticky​ ​notes​ ​which​ ​were​ ​alongside​ ​each  trainer​ ​for​ ​each​ ​week,​ ​would​ ​specify​ ​what​ ​that​ ​trainer​ ​would​ ​be​ ​engaged​ ​in​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day.     I​ ​got​ ​feedback​ ​that​ ​it​ ​was​ ​still​ ​challenging​ ​to​ ​quickly​ ​tell​ ​what​ ​session​ ​or​ ​activity​ ​was​ ​happening  at​ ​a​ ​certain​ ​day.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​difficult​ ​since​ ​activities​ ​would​ ​vary​ ​sometimes​ ​for​ ​the​ ​trainers​ ​for  example,​ ​one​ ​trainer​ ​could​ ​be​ ​carrying​ ​out​ ​interview​ ​assessments​ ​while​ ​another​ ​could​ ​be  delivering​ ​training.     Insight​ ​&​ ​Approach    I​ ​am​ ​amazed​ ​at​ ​how​ ​effective​ ​this​ ​approach​ ​is​ ​.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​less​ ​emails​ ​and​ ​conversations​ ​from  trainers​ ​asking​ ​me​ ​what​ ​they​ ​will​ ​be​ ​doing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day.​ ​Each​ ​trainer​ ​is​ ​able​ ​to​ ​plan​ ​their  schedule​ ​for​ ​the​ ​month​ ​more​ ​easily.​ ​They​ ​are​ ​able​ ​to​ ​note​ ​if​ ​the​ ​workload​ ​is​ ​overwhelming​ ​and​ ​I  can​ ​make​ ​appropriate​ ​changes.​ ​Furthermore,​ ​they​ ​can​ ​easily​ ​spot​ ​the​ ​other​ ​trainer​ ​delivering​ ​a  similar​ ​session​ ​and​ ​plan​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​then​ ​to​ ​go​ ​over​ ​the​ ​session.​ ​They​ ​can​ ​also​ ​step​ ​in​ ​for​ ​each  other​ ​if​ ​one​ ​is​ ​not​ ​around​ ​after​ ​checking​ ​what​ ​everyone​ ​is​ ​up​ ​to​ ​and​ ​who​ ​is​ ​free.

I​ ​thought​ ​of​ ​introducing​ ​a​ ​small​ ​change​ ​to​ ​the​ ​tool.​ ​Under​ ​the​ ​weeks,​ ​I​ ​introduced​ ​sticky​ ​notes  detailing​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​schedule​ ​broken​ ​down​ ​into​ ​days.​ ​It​ ​helped​ ​trainers​ ​identify​ ​faster​ ​the  activities​ ​for​ ​the​ ​day​ ​and​ ​quickly​ ​check​ ​what​ ​all​ ​the​ ​other​ ​trainers​ ​would​ ​be​ ​doing.   Trainers​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​identify​ ​that​ ​the​ ​first​ ​two​ ​weeks​ ​were​ ​very​ ​intense​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the​ ​last  week.​ ​This​ ​sparked​ ​a​ ​conversation​ ​on​ ​how​ ​we​ ​could​ ​achieve​ ​a​ ​balance​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​trainees  engaged​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​time.     The​ ​course​ ​convinced​ ​me​ ​on​ ​the​ ​value​ ​of​ ​making​ ​things​ ​visual.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​seen​ ​the​ ​drastic​ ​change  of​ ​applying​ ​visualization​ ​in​ ​my​ ​organization.​ ​Since​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​is​ ​offline,​ ​we​ ​will​ ​have​ ​to​ ​think​ ​of  solutions​ ​for​ ​remote​ ​access​ ​to​ ​the​ ​information​ ​in​ ​a​ ​visual​ ​format.


Challenge​ ​and​ ​Selection I​ ​work​ ​at​ ​a​ ​social​ ​enterprise​ ​that​ ​offers​ ​life​ ​skills​ ​training​ ​to​ ​university​ ​graduates​ ​and​ ​helps​ ​them secure​ ​internships​ ​in​ ​SMEs.​ ​I​ ​am​ ​in​ ​charge​ ​of​ ​a​ ​team​ ​of​ ​life​ ​skills​ ​trainers​ ​and​ ​curriculum development.​ ​Initially,​ ​the​ ​program​ ​schedule​ ​used​ ​to​ ​be​ ​online​ ​on​ ​a​ ​Google​ ​sheet​ ​document . Trainers​ ​had​ ​to​ ​scroll​ ​down​ ​to​ ​check​ ​what​ ​they​ ​would​ ​be​ ​doing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day . It​ ​was​ ​also​ ​very​ ​time​ ​consuming​ ​to​ ​create​ ​this​ ​schedule​ ​and​ ​assign​ ​trainers​ ​to​ ​specific​ ​sessions . As​ ​we​ ​started​ ​having​ ​larger​ ​cohorts,​ ​we​ ​decided​ ​to​ ​split​ ​the​ ​trainees​ ​into​ ​two​ ​groups.​ ​That meant​ ​that,​ ​two​ ​similar​ ​sessions​ ​would​ ​happen​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time.​ ​We​ ​had​ ​to​ ​have​ ​2​ ​parallel schedules​ ​making​ ​it​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​confirm​ ​whether​ ​trainers​ ​training​ ​on​ ​the​ ​same​ ​topic,​ ​were​ ​at​ ​par with​ ​each​ ​other.​ ​All​ ​this​ ​brought​ ​about​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​stress​ ​and​ ​confusion.​ ​We​ ​had​ ​to​ ​come​ ​up​ ​with​ ​an approach​ ​that​ ​could​ ​make​ ​it​ ​easier​ ​to​ ​quickly​ ​tell​ ​one’s​ ​schedule​ ​faster,​ ​and​ ​tell​ ​who​ ​they​ ​could consult​ ​if​ ​having​ ​a​ ​shared​ ​session . We​ ​settled​ ​on​ ​the​ ​visualization​ ​tool.​ ​This​ ​tool​ ​isn’t​ ​just​ ​about​ ​drawing,​ ​but​ ​use​ ​of​ ​color​ ​or symbols​ ​or​ ​photos​ ​to​ ​articulate​ ​thoughts​ ​as​ ​mentioned​ ​in​ ​the​ ​visualization​ ​tool​ ​video​ ​(Week​ ​1 ) . The​ ​idea​ ​that​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​could​ ​help​ ​people​ ​align​ ​their​ ​thoughts​ ​and​ ​share​ ​their​ ​perspectives sounded​ ​interesting​ ​and​ ​worth​ ​pursuing.​ ​We​ ​needed​ ​a​ ​way​ ​to​ ​effectively​ ​identify​ ​challenges​ ​in our​ ​schedule​ ​and​ ​find​ ​a​ ​way​ ​have​ ​everyone​ ​on​ ​the​ ​same​ ​page . Application We​ ​used​ ​a​ ​flip​ ​chart​ ​which​ ​had​ ​week​ ​1​ ​to​ ​4​ ​on​ ​a​ ​horizontal​ ​plane​ ​written​ ​with​ ​a​ ​marker​ ​and​ ​the trainers’​ ​names​ ​on​ ​the​ ​vertical​ ​plane.​ ​The​ ​other​ ​sets​ ​of​ ​sticky​ ​notes​ ​which​ ​were​ ​alongside​ ​each trainer​ ​for​ ​each​ ​week,​ ​would​ ​specify​ ​what​ ​that​ ​trainer​ ​would​ ​be​ ​engaged​ ​in​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day . I​ ​got​ ​feedback​ ​that​ ​it​ ​was​ ​still​ ​challenging​ ​to​ ​quickly​ ​tell​ ​what​ ​session​ ​or​ ​activity​ ​was​ ​happening at​ ​a​ ​certain​ ​day.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​difficult​ ​since​ ​activities​ ​would​ ​vary​ ​sometimes​ ​for​ ​the​ ​trainers​ ​for example,​ ​one​ ​trainer​ ​could​ ​be​ ​carrying​ ​out​ ​interview​ ​assessments​ ​while​ ​another​ ​could​ ​be delivering​ ​training . Insight​ ​&​ ​Approach I​ ​am​ ​amazed​ ​at​ ​how​ ​effective​ ​this​ ​approach​ ​is​ ​.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​less​ ​emails​ ​and​ ​conversations​ ​from trainers​ ​asking​ ​me​ ​what​ ​they​ ​will​ ​be​ ​doing​ ​on​ ​a​ ​specific​ ​day.​ ​Each​ ​trainer​ ​is​ ​able​ ​to​ ​plan​ ​their schedule​ ​for​ ​the​ ​month​ ​more​ ​easily.​ ​They​ ​are​ ​able​ ​to​ ​note​ ​if​ ​the​ ​workload​ ​is​ ​overwhelming​ ​and​ ​I can​ ​make​ ​appropriate​ ​changes.​ ​Furthermore,​ ​they​ ​can​ ​easily​ ​spot​ ​the​ ​other​ ​trainer​ ​delivering​ ​a similar​ ​session​ ​and​ ​plan​ ​to​ ​meet​ ​then​ ​to​ ​go​ ​over​ ​the​ ​session.​ ​They​ ​can​ ​also​ ​step​ ​in​ ​for​ ​each other​ ​if​ ​one​ ​is​ ​not​ ​around​ ​after​ ​checking​ ​what​ ​everyone​ ​is​ ​up​ ​to​ ​and​ ​who​ ​is​ ​free . I​ ​thought​ ​of​ ​introducing​ ​a​ ​small​ ​change​ ​to​ ​the​ ​tool.​ ​Under​ ​the​ ​weeks,​ ​I​ ​introduced​ ​sticky​ ​notes detailing​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​schedule​ ​broken​ ​down​ ​into​ ​days.​ ​It​ ​helped​ ​trainers​ ​identify​ ​faster​ ​the activities​ ​for​ ​the​ ​day​ ​and​ ​quickly​ ​check​ ​what​ ​all​ ​the​ ​other​ ​trainers​ ​would​ ​be​ ​doing . Trainers​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​identify​ ​that​ ​the​ ​first​ ​two​ ​weeks​ ​were​ ​very​ ​intense​ ​compared​ ​to​ ​the​ ​last week.​ ​This​ ​sparked​ ​a​ ​conversation​ ​on​ ​how​ ​we​ ​could​ ​achieve​ ​a​ ​balance​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​trainees engaged​ ​the​ ​whole​ ​time . The​ ​course​ ​convinced​ ​me​ ​on​ ​the​ ​value​ ​of​ ​making​ ​things​ ​visual.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​seen​ ​the​ ​drastic​ ​change of​ ​applying​ ​visualization​ ​in​ ​my​ ​organization.​ ​Since​ ​this​ ​tool​ ​is​ ​offline,​ ​we​ ​will​ ​have​ ​to​ ​think​ ​of solutions​ ​for​ ​remote​ ​access​ ​to​ ​the​ ​information​ ​in​ ​a​ ​visual​ ​format .