Why is a grid sometimes useful?

Steven "Doc" List doc at anotherthought.com
Tue Aug 4 08:18:03 PDT 2009 

I've used the grid almost exclusively, working with a predominantly  
technical audience. At one OS, someone else facilitated when I wasn't  
available, and went gridless.  The feedback I got was that the  
attendees missed the grid.

Which doesn't say that grid is better, just that it works well for  
this particular group.

Maybe I'll prep them the next time and go gridless with them.

..Doc
--
Steven "Doc" List, Principal Consultant, ThoughtWorks NA
Stage Producer, New to Agile stage, Agile2009 Conference (http://agile2009.agilealliance.org 
)
Mobile: +1 (512) 924-9248 | Skype: steven.list | Yahoo: dadjester |  
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email: doc at thoughtworks.com | doc at anotherthought.com | web: www.thoughtworks.com

Read about communication and facilitation on my blog: http://www.stevenlist.com/blog




On Aug 4, 2009, at 9:28 AM, Jack Martin Leith wrote:

> I'd like to add a couple of points:
>
> 1) Why have a "rule" about this? Different events call for different  
> mechanics.
>
> 2) From what I've seen, BarCamps have a grid and no Post-its.
>
> At the BarCamp I was part of, it never occurred to the organisers  
> that they could add another column to the grid and thereby  
> accommodate another bunch of sessions.
>
> Best wishes to all,
>
> Jack
>
> Jack Martin Leith
> Bristol, United Kingdom
> Mobile: 07831 840541 (+44 7831 840541)
> Skype: jackmartinleith
> email: jack at jackmartinleith.com
> www.jackmartinleith.com
>
>
> 2009/8/4 Larry Peterson <larry at spiritedorg.com>
> The only "grid" I use is the one I put the post-its on.  I prefer  
> the free
> form posting of topics on the wall, and maybe some splitting of Day  
> 1 and
> Day 2.  For me, the chaos at the wall is intentional and if its not  
> there,
> then the benefits of being at the "edge of chaos" are not achieved.   
> People
> have to use their intuition as well as logic when deciding what  
> topic to
> pursue. It is clearly not a traditional agenda.
>
> Larry
>
>
> Larry Peterson & Associates in Transformation
> Toronto, Ontario, Canada
> larry at spiritedorg.com   416.653.4829 http://www.spiritedorg.com
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of  
> Jon Harvey
> Sent: August-04-09 4:48 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Why is a grid sometimes useful?
>
> Erik
>
> I have mostly created grids using making tape which certainly looks  
> more
> like a 'standard' agenda - rows for time slots and columns for  
> places. That
> is their main value I think...
>
> However I have experienced several difficulties:
>
> 1) Merging and combining discussions becomes a bit constrained
> 2) You need a big wall - which is often not available
> 3) I was always left wondering why we had the post-it notes and the
> scheduled box on the grid - as they duplicated each other - in effect.
> 4) If a balloon popped (or escaped - see by blog for a pic!
> http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/ ) all the sheets for that  
> session
> had to be moved.
>
> So now I favour the freeform - but slightly organised - approach. I  
> choose X
> wall spaces (where X is the number of time slots) and ask people to  
> post
> their discussions there - attaching the appropriate sticky note  
> (11.00ish
> and balloon G). People can consult the wall space at any time and  
> see laid
> out, the various sessions that are happening at that time. This can  
> apply to
> new people also - if they helped, as need be, to understand what it  
> all
> means - which takes 10 seconds in my experience. Merging discussions  
> is also
> far easier with this method. It also does not give any spurious  
> 'order' to
> the ideas - because they are arranged higgledy-piggledy.
>
> For finding the discussions - I usually opt for large letter shaped  
> balloons
> suspended 2m from the floor. If you are sponsoring session D - you  
> go and
> get the D balloon and a flip chart and see who turns up. (see
> http://www.classiccelebrations.com/images/categories/alphabetletteraballooni
> mage.jpg for an example)
>
> Hope this helps...
>
> Very best wishes
>
> Jon
> ___________________________________________________
>
> Jon Harvey
> Director
>
> www.jonharveyassociates.co.uk
> +44 (0) 7771 537535
> +44 (0) 1280 822585
>
> jon at jonharveyassociates.co.uk
>
>
> Helping you connect the prose and the passion
> to deliver superlative results
>
> http://smallcreativeideas.blogspot.com/  for ideas about how to  
> improve
> public services
> http://jonharveyassociates.blogspot.com/ for articles, ideas &  
> ramblings
> linked to my consultancy
>
> Jon Harvey Associates Ltd
> Registered Office: Chandos House, School Lane, Buckingham, MK18 1HD
> Company Number 6661588. VAT Registration Number 936 2921 11
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Erik
> Fabian
> Sent: 04 August 2009 05:08
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: [OSLIST] Why is a grid sometimes useful?
>
> Hello,
>
> I have been thinking about the bulletin board and the debate that  
> happened a
> while back on this
> list about whether a totally free collage of session postings is  
> somehow
> better than OS style events
> that use a grid layout that notes time/locations.
>
> I agree that the complete free flowing collage approach has an elegant
> appeal but I have been
> asking myself a different question...why do some OS style events  
> even use a
> grid?
>
> I wonder how did the use of the grid evolve at these events? What is  
> their
> value?
>
> I can only speculate on how these event evolved into using a grid  
> (or if
> that is how they started out
> perhaps) but I have realize one advantage...they allow new  
> participants to
> easily to join in with an
> event that is already in progress.
>
> When someone shows up late to a public event and encounters a messy  
> session
> board it is hard,
> without further explanation, for them to understand what is going  
> on, where
> it is happening, if it
> is happening, and if so when.
>
> The original OS literature I have read usually emphasizes that  
> participants
> are present start to
> finish. There are many obvious benefits to this but the relevant one  
> here is
> that everyone is
> present during the original board making. They have some sense of  
> how it
> evolved into whatever
> mess that it becomes and how it changes as people go about the  
> experience.
>
> It makes sense if the original OS literature isn't accounting late  
> arrivals
> that it doesn't need
> something like a grid to help late arrivals get oriented quickly.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Cheerio,
> Erik
>
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