Initiative Feedback Session Teams that succeed learn & improve together SESSION INFORMATION/PREP: Time needed: 1 hour to 1 ½ hours (time depends on number of participants). Materials needed: if in a face to face event – Chart paper for each of the six hat phases. Colored paper for each of the hats –labeled with the hat color and type. Optional: Colored pens. Color printed handouts of slides 2,6,7,8 Participants: all core team, key players in project including the sponsor and stakeholders. Virtual or Online: can be done online with careful sharing and pacing using a virtual meeting space. Take notes on preset slides from phase to phase. Unfortunately, unlike in a live or face to face situation you can not see the live notes all at once. Being able to see these notes may spark thinking and ideas for the participants. Pre-work: Send out the word document with the Six Hat Thinking prompts to participants ahead of time. They can use the document to gather their thoughts prior to the meeting. Encouraging participants to fill this out even after the session, not only insures that the less verbal participants will have a voice or input, it allows those who need to reflect on what they would like to say to frame their contributions.

Six Hats In Detail Remember the Six Hats Edward deBono’s Six Hat thinking can help us enhance our initiative evaluation process so we are focusing on objective analysis of our process in order to plan better for future initiatives. At the same time using the Six Hats effectively allows us to express our emotions and intuition around what we are experiencing on these projects. The following agenda will help us walk through the evaluation process.

Process 5 min Objective today is to gather feedback and actionable items to improve for similar future initiatives. To start, we’ll list the objectives of the project/charter. 5 min Share anything from the planning or rollout which are facts. Do NOT include hunches and feelings or reasoning – just facts. Save those for the other steps. 10 min List only about the good things that happened in the planning & rollout. 10 min List only the things that could have gone better in the planning & rollout. Times recommended are based on 1 hour time slot. Set the stage for future implementations that are similar organization-wide initiatives. Recommendations: Make sure to touch upon each step in the process. When discussion goes off track, note that you are putting the “Blue” or “Process” hat on to draw the discussion back to it’s original course and goals. Lead the last section (Red Hat) but providing a brief observation based on feelings you felt during the process and provide a quick example of how this might be embraced or avoided next time. EXAMPLE: “The project was so hectic at times, I felt like we were running with scissors….<Answer>: Perhaps next time we can plan our time better or identify the risks that might cause us to react vs. plan for contingencies.” Discuss ideas for solving problems or things that may add more value to this kind of initiative in the future. 10 min 5 min Share emotional responses that possibly can be turned into action items or key take-aways. Keep things simple. What does your intuition tell you about what happened and what we learned in the end?

Going Forward Next steps: Note that the notes collected today will be collected and put together on a feedback/solutions or “Lessons Learned” spreadsheet to be used for lessons learned going forward. Reiterate that participants can still use the worksheets to collect thoughts they may not have been able to state in the session and that these thoughts can be sent to you, the facilitator. IMPORTANT: prior to starting your next initiative review this “Lessons Learned” spreadsheet as part of the planning process. Make sure to take into consideration the differences and similarities between the past and present initiatives including the goals, audience, timeline, stakeholders and sponsor.

Back up & background slides Appendix Back up & background slides

The Six Thinking Hats helps accomplish the following: Separate out thinking so we can do one thing at a time Asks people to switch thinking from one mode to another Separates ego from performance Signals what thinking process we are going to use next Allows specific time for creativity Explores subjects in parallel Expands from one-dimensional to full-colored thinking Collects feedback in a structured & effective way Source: http://www.agilelifestream.com/blog/2010/12/20/get-rid-of-unproductive-meetings-with-six-thinking hats.html Using the Six Hats

Green Creative ‘Blue-sky’ thinking. Consider abstract thinking, digressions, alternative proposals, and provocative statements. Objectively consider available information, focusing only on data available, where gaps in existing knowledge exist, and what trends can be extrapolated from the information to hand. White Facts Yellow Identify all optimistic, constructive aspects and suggestions regarding a decision or plan, with an eye towards building confidence and enthusiasm at the outset.  Positive Red Feelings Identify emotional reactions, judgments, suspicions and intuitions in oneself and others, separate from the objective data itself. As a refresher… Sources: http://betterevaluation.org/evaluation-options/six_hat Other definitions from: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_07.htm Blue Overview Consider the entire thinking process itself, i.e. ‘meta-cognition’. Review and assess the six hats session thus far, identify places where a specific modality of thinking needs expanding, revisiting, or balancing. Black Raise and consider any potential flaws, risks, challenges and fears in a decision or plan in order to preempt them and avoid the dangers of over-optimism. Caution

Feedback Session Process (w/hats indicated) Blue 5 min Process - note, our objective today is to gather feedback for similar future initiatives. List the objectives of the project/charter. Share anything from the planning or rollout which are facts. Do NOT include hunches and feelings or reasoning – just facts. Save those for the other hats. See “Congratulations.” White 10 min Participants talk only about the good things that happened in the planning & rollout. Yellow 10 min 10 min Participants talk the things that could have gone better in the planning & rollout. Black Set the stage for improving future implementations that are similar Organization wide people initiatives. Sources: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/six-thinking-hats-retrospective Blue Hat: Focus statement. White Hat: What could be causing the problem? Green Hat: Generate ideas to solve the problem. Red Hat: Choose the best ideas. Yellow Hat:What are the benefits of each idea? Black Hat: What are the weaknesses of each idea? Green Hat: Overcoming the weaknesses. Blue Hat: What do we need to do, by when? Recommended Sequence for evaluation: Blue, Red, White, Yellow, Black, Green.  http://betterevaluation.org/evaluation-options/six_hats Sessions should begin with a “blue hat” period, allowing participants to arrive at a consensus regarding how subsequent thinking should be accomplished – the other colors are then cycled through. For evaluation and performance review, the recommended sequence is Blue, Red, White, Yellow, Black, Green. Evaluators should feel free, however, to adapt this to whichever sequence they find most effective in practice. The facilitator should be ready to clarify each stage of thinking, plan the sequence of “hats” in advance, refocus discussions in line with each stage of thinking, and be prepared, if need be, change the thinking in line with participant feedback. http://www.rogerlock.novawebs.co.uk/files/SSR337_Garner.pdf Discuss ideas for solving problems or things that may add more value to this kind of initiative in the future. 10 min Green Share emotional responses that possibly can be turned into action items or key take-aways. Keep things simple. What does your intuition tell you about what happened? What we learned in the end? 5 min Red