Here at QUALITANCE we developed a series of habits that keep us happy and make teamwork efficient. You’ll see us having one-on-ones on the go, having short syncs at the same hour every day, gathering in the open space to stay updated. We’re even moving chairs and monitors in the office when switching projects. All for the sake of good collaboration and alignment at work, rest assured!
It’s all about the Agile mindset
They say habits are easier to make than break. In our case, 4 out of the 5 habits you’re about to read below are the effects of the Agile methodology we apply every day. We use fast technologies, we work fast, we make decisions even faster and we test a lot.
Agility naturally reflects in our work practices, helping us grow as individuals and thrive together as a team. We also have our personal mechanisms to stay productive. For Serban, Architecture Owner, a good post-work running is the key to stick to his to-do list. He gets back home with a boost of energy and gets things done.
Bogdan D., UI Designer, works best around holiday seasons, when there are only a few people in the office. Otherwise, when faced with an important task, he puts on a custom playlist and shields himself from the rest of the world to stay focused.
As part of the agile style, we value continuous communication. Being in sync influences team productivity. We all know what it feels like when you’re not on the same page – people lose precious time digging for information, they forget goals and get frustrated.
Every day we make a choice: to deliver fast, even if it’s just 98% perfect work, rather than wait for too long or until all possible risks are eliminated.
Once people are well-informed, they are productive as well. And productive people are happy. Everything is connected. “We run a culture where things are happening fast. Every day we make a choice: to deliver fast, even if it’s just 98% perfect work, rather than wait for too long or until all possible risks are eliminated,” says Alina, Chief People Operations.
Information needs to flow easily, and at QUALITANCE we make this happen by sticking to 5 effortless habits. Here are the things we value to stay connected and productive.
1. A sync a day keeps unclarity away
We figured out over time that keeping in touch is the best way to align our work and be effective. So we set this habit that sticks to our calendars every single day – sync meetings no longer than 30 minutes. It’s proven that short meetings are the key to being productive and feeling purposeful. We use these 30 minutes to discuss updates on projects and eliminate any kind of blockers. We also challenge ideas to improve our work, and we make sure we’re on the same page.
2. Walk & talk
Why always sitting in a meeting room for dozens of minutes when you could share your thoughts during a nice walk in the office? Since sitting for too long is proven to be damaging, walking meetings are a healthier and more efficient alternative.
The long hallway of our open space witnesses a lot of updates on projects, pieces of advice and life stories we love to share. By walking and talking we are forced to be concise, hence more efficient. Plus, a little workout also clears the mind and makes room for innovative ideas! Our CEO Ioan Iacob is the one who intensely promotes the walk’n’talk. If you want to have a short chat with him, you might be having it on his way to his next meeting.
3. Learn from each other
In our office, we work closely and collaborate a lot, which gives us many opportunities to learn from one another. It comes naturally to share our knowledge. Following the same path, we formed a habit at the end of each project. Everyone working on the project meets and runs a rich & useful Lessons Learned session. It’s an opportunity to share with others the things we’re proud of and the things we wish we had done differently.
4. Informal gatherings
Instead of sending long, killer emails with the latest company updates, we found a more friendly way to deliver important internal messages. Every two weeks, we gather in the open space to catch up on the latest news.
We welcome new teammates, learn about the progress on ongoing projects, talk about goals – things that concern us all. There’s always a colleague who makes the gathering funny and engaging by sharing a hilarious experience!
5. All aboard
Whenever a new project starts, something funny yet undoubtedly necessary happens: people carry their monitors and walk their roll boxes from one office corner to the other. Suddenly, each project looks like a camp place, so that key people from all competencies – and here we talk about UX & UI Designers, Business Analysts, Software Architects, Front-end & Back-end developers, QA Engineers, Project Managers and many others – can work closely and efficiently. At this point, we have around 4 project teams within the team and we keep growing!
They say that you can’t ‘think” your way into a new habit. We believe you have to take action repetitively. And this is what we did. We tested these habits and they proved to work for us. Sure, each team has its own pace and work style, but only by testing and learning you can find out what works best for yours.
How do you and your team stay productive? Share your tips in a comment on Facebook!
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