Obsess Over Process

Verne Ho @verneho

Process Thursday, March 14, 2013 4 Comments

If you're not thinking about process, you're probably doing it wrong. That's what we say internally, anyway.

I know, process can be a dirty word, but it’s a function of how you approach it. The thing is, process isn’t for the sake of process. Process is for the sake of the people. And if you understand that people constantly change, adapt, and grow, then you must accept that process must also constantly change, adapt, and grow.

Process is an often overlooked but killer competitive advantage. We don’t dare to say that we’ve got everything 100% right, but we take pride in knowing that, when hell breaks loose, we’re better equipped to solve problems together.

Obsess over process. It’s the best advice I can give any team.

Planning as a Team

Verne Ho @verneho

Process Monday, January 28, 2013 7 Comments

Two Fridays ago, we got the team together to kick off our upcoming company planning sessions. With everyone seated around the Sandbox (our nickname for our team meeting room), we openly discussed topic ideas, session formats, organizing action items, and scheduling, among other details.

Last week, each person had a chance to submit their recommendations on topics they’d like to talk about or see covered. Recommendations typically cover everything from the way we work (process, roles, accountabilities), to the things we work on (new industries, clients, special projects), to the things we use everyday (equipment, supplies, studio space). These recommendations get consolidated, refined and turned into a series of presentations, workshops, and roundtable discussions that are led by our team over a course of 2-3 days where the studio closes up shop. It’s like our own internal Jet Cooper conference. And we do it every 6 months.

Behrouz leading a Futurecasting workshop.

Post-Mortem is an Ugly Word (and Why We Can’t Move the Retrospective)

Arati Sharma @aratisharma

Process Monday, December 17, 2012 13 Comments

We make some pretty substantial changes to our process every six months through internal planning, where our team regroups on every facet of operations, strategy, design, and development.

The knowledge we glean from reviewing the previous six months is invaluable. However, for operations, it can be a daunting task to implement the sheer amount of process changes all at once. So this time around, I wanted to try out some experiments and track progress on a more regular basis.

Collection of notes from project retrospectives.

A Fresh Look at Jet Cooper

Satish Kanwar @skanwar

Design, News, Projects Thursday, November 8, 2012 18 Comments

We started Jet Cooper three and a half years ago from humble beginnings. Our website has taken many forms since, from the first ever splash page to our first major release last year.

We’ve intentionally said only what we’ve known for certain over the course of our short history. With the progress we’ve seen this year in our team, business, and industry, we’ve had an opportunity to learn more than ever before about the role, value, and experience we offer.

Today, in keeping with tradition, we’re proud to introduce you to our completely redesigned website.

Show & Tell – Lectures, Pills and Mood Blasts

Medina Abdelkader @medinaeve

Fun, News Tuesday, October 18, 2011 Leave a comment

Any successful team that I have worked with has had one thing in common; they can play as passionately as they can work. There’s a fine art to it – navigating the plains of office dynamics demands a breed of sensitivity to the working habits, deadlines, personalities and affinities of fellow team members.

But born from this understanding of the other gears in the machine is a kind of synchronized waltz that forms the backbone of efficient workflow.