¶ Main contact
We Are Open Co-op (WAO) will appoint one member as a the main contact for each client. This is to prevent any confusion or duplicated/mismatched info. Should you have any questions, comments, or concerns, this main contact should be your first port of call. But, if your main contact is away, then WAO will be sure to appoint another member of the co-op to look after you while they're away.
In our experience, successful projects are based on trust, mutual understanding, and great communication. In order to enable that, this short document sets out our commitments to you, and we would ask that you reciprocate.
¶ Guidelines
When you email us we will respond promptly, usually within 24 hours. This may be a ‘holding’ response while we figure out how best to answer your question or get you the information you need. Either way, we won't keep you hanging, and we'll focus on how we can help you immediately.
Bear in mind that the chances are we're working on several projects in any given week. If there is a genuine emergency then of course we will help you. Thanks in advance for your patience!
¶ Project management
We use Trello to organise our projects and we'll invite you to a board using the template shown below:
Should you not be familiar with the logistics of Trello then please check out their help section. In terms of the way we use it, then our expectations are:
- Canonical link - this should be to the left-hand side of the board and provide a link to an overview of the project and to any shared spaces such as Google Drive folders.
- Card titles - use verbs! So instead of ‘Project plan’ make things clearer by stating ‘Create project plan’ or ‘Update project plan’.
- Card contents - other than a title, every card to the right of the ‘To do’ column should have three things:
- A description to help explain what is required
- At least one assignee to be responsible for the completion of actions described in the card
- A due date by which time the actions described in the card should be complete
In addition, it would be helpful if you link to document required to complete the actions described in the card, and if you use the comments section to mention any updates. Bonus points for using the ‘checklist’ feature to break down cards into smaller more manageable chunks, and using the @mention feature to keep everyone up-to-date.
Keeping cards moving from left to right helps keep project momentum. When we meet for regular project management meetings, we can archive cards in the ‘Done’ column together.
¶ Instant messaging
We use private Slack channels at WAO for internal communication and public channels for watercooler-style conversations with people in our network. We don't usually create shared channels with clients for projects, nor do we usually join workplace chat spaces owned and operated by clients. Of course, we do make exceptions.
In our experience, intentional communication through email, scheduled meetings, and project management software like Trello allows us to spend more time (and more of your money!) on getting shit done rather than shooting the shit. We hope that makes sense.
¶ Kick-off meeting
At the start of our time working together, we will run a kick-off meeting with you to figure out the answer to some questions. We find that getting the answer to these up front helps things further down the line:
- How often are we checking in?
- How many staff days is the client allocating to this project? Which days?
- How many member days per week is WAO allocating to this project? Which days?
- Are there any technology tools that WAO use that aren't accessible to the client?
- In no more than five sentences, what is the desired outcome from the project we are working on together?
It's worth stating that there's different kinds of ambiguity when it comes to creative, innovative projects. Unhelpful ambiguity includes things such as who the project manager is from the client side, or which tools we're using to collaborate.
There is such a thing as creative ambiguity, though. Sometimes, it's not clear until you get into a project the exact shape it will take. This is why we talk about the ‘desired outcome’ of the project, rather than a laundry list of deliverables.