"The Kiddie Factor of Sprint Fosters Creativity" - Says Our Newly Certified Product Development Innovator from Yondu Inc.
Makati City, Philippines - Paul John "PJ" Domingo received his Certification as a Product Development Innovator (CPDI) last Friday, 18th of May, on the last day of Design Sprint's 2-day Certification Workshop (Wave 4).
PJ is a Software Engineer at Yondu Inc. as well as a Scrum Master. With a lot of stuff on his plate, it was such a pleasure to have him visit us in class and give a short testimonial for the graduating wave. We were also able to conduct a one-on-one interview with him to get further details about his journey toward the Certification, and we're sharing everything we know!
**Interview with PJ**
Q. How did you become acquainted with the Innovation Workshop?
A. Our group has always been looking for new ways and processes that can help our software engineering and product development. One of our Solutions Architects saw the Innovation Workshop post, and it made us interested in learning and applying it in our group.
Q. What Prompted you to start your project?
A. The organization is committed to business improvements and new offerings for the clients, and running the Design Sprint for one of our product ideas will really help the team in building the right features.
Q. What was your project about?
A. Basically we are to re-design the visitor experience / receiving experience in our office.
Q. What were the results of your project?
A. The Design Sprint conducted for the office visit experience paved the way for new insights that were used for building the initial product version. The quick validation of the features was helpful in coming up with the right solution for the design problem.
Q. What was it like for you, starting up and executing your own project?
A. It was challenging at first, especially in establishing awareness among the team members. But when you successfully establish the importance and the process of the framework, the rest of the stages of the Design Sprint will run smoothly.
Q. Among/Aside from the Action Items that were done, what were the key elements that led to the success of your project?
A. As also mentioned, establishing knowledge about the framework. Before conducting the Design Sprint proper, we had some brown bag sessions on Design Sprint: what it is, how it is done, and its importance.
And a major factor of the success also lies in the good team cooperation that was built. Icebreakers and Getting-To-Know activities made the team at ease with each other.
Q. What was the impact of your project on your company?
A. The findings of the Design Sprint impacted the initial product features understanding of the team. This made the team build a product with "validated" features that will surely answer the target customer's pain points and needs.
Q. What was the impact of attending the Innovation workshop on you as an individual / professional?
A. It helped me in many ways! I was able to explore opportunities that I didn't know I was capable of doing. Maybe the greatest part is, I was able to drive and initiate something new for our group.
Q. What would be your message to those who are currently taking/planning to take the Innovation Program or those who are currently conducting their own projects?
A. Knowledge will be the foundation. Focus on the first days on establishing Design Sprint to your teammates, and to your bosses. This might be difficult especially when you don't have the opportunity of running the Design Sprint in the first place. But I'm telling you, if people started to see the essence and difference of it, everything would run smoothly.
For the facilitator, stay neutral. Treat the ideas fairly. If the team will be failing to achieve a fair judgment, the essence of the Design Sprint will be compromised.
And of course, have fun. :) Buy sticky notes with different colors, pens with glitters, and different colors. The kiddie factor of the Sprint adds to the light mood that fosters creativity. :) Play productively!
Q. Is there anything else that you'd like to share about your experience?
A. The Testing Phase was the most challenging and the funniest part. We get to see many real-time user reactions, the way they get frustrated, the way they were pissed off, and the expression of delight on their faces. It may sound like we were just playing, but unconsciously, we are solving critical business questions, that will be critical in developing the product.
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