No Bad Questions About Project Management
Definition of Big room planning
What is big room planning?
Big Room Planning (BRP), a structured approach focused on aligning teams and setting goals for a specific period, usually a quarter. It is an event where cross-functional teams gather in a physical or virtual space to align and plan their work.
BRP sessions foster transparency, collective ownership, and a shared understanding of goals and initiatives.
Why use big room planning
BRP isn't just a meeting, it's an investment in your project's success. Here's how it delivers:
- BRP fosters a common ground for large teams and diverse stakeholders. Everyone leaves aligned on strategic goals and understands their role in achieving them.
- Open discussions during BRP help teams identify and prioritize tasks, leading to informed decisions about resource allocation and necessary compromises.
- The event maximizes participants' time by facilitating the immediate resolution of inter-team issues and dependencies.
It ensures clear visibility into escalated issues that need leadership intervention, allowing for swift decision-making and support.
How to use big room planning
While specifics may vary depending on the team’s size and the goals of the meeting, here's a general outline of the BRP process:
- Preparation. Define the goals and objectives of BRP, select participants, and prepare necessary materials.
- Setting the stage. Establish clear ground rules, outline the agenda, and create a collaborative atmosphere.
- Reviewing the big picture. Present high-level strategic goals and objectives for the planning period.
- Team-level planning. Each team huddles to break down their work into smaller, actionable tasks and identify dependencies.
- Cross-team collaboration. Teams discuss dependencies, identify potential roadblocks, and plan collaborative efforts.
- Consolidated plan. Integrate individual team plans into a cohesive overall plan for the period.
- Action and ownership. Assign clear ownership and accountability for tasks and deliverables.
- Follow-up and monitoring. Establish mechanisms to track progress, address challenges, and ensure successful plan execution.
Bonus:
- Inject fun into your BRP event. It boosts motivation, revitalizes participants, and fosters closer collaboration. Adding elements like culture hacks, games, and a lively atmosphere can make all the difference in breaking down barriers and creating a more engaging and productive environment.
Key Takeaways
- BRP is a structured event where cross-functional teams convene to align and plan their work for a specific period, typically a quarter.
- It promotes transparency, collective ownership, and a shared understanding of goals and initiatives. BRP ensures alignment on strategic objectives, facilitates informed decision-making, resolves inter-team issues efficiently, and provides visibility into escalated matters requiring leadership intervention.
- The process involves preparation, setting ground rules, reviewing strategic goals, team-level planning, cross-team collaboration, consolidating plans, assigning ownership, and establishing follow-up mechanisms.
- Injecting fun elements like culture hacks and games into BRP events can boost motivation and enhance participant collaboration.
