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FullConTech 2016 Playbook Progress: Update #1
One aspect of FullConTech that was new this year was the opportunity participants had to continue their problem-solving collaborations beyond the event. At the playbook launch party on November 10th, attendees signed up to work on plays, and WTIA contacted all FullConTech attendees from 2015 and 2016, as well as all WTIA members and community partners, to invite them to sign up for a team at the WTIA website. In total, 27 people volunteered to work on 16 FullConTech 2016 plays, with many of those volunteers signing up for more than one.
Since mid-December, the teams have been meeting and exploring ways to execute on those plays – from creating new programs to enhancing existing programs to developing resources that would be available on the WTIA website. Here’s an update on all the plays volunteers signed up to work on:
Plays Showing Substantial Progress
| Play | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Expand current WTIA efforts and do more to encourage volunteering, share best practices and raise awareness among members | The team plans to promote volunteer opportunities related to Training Camp + Draft Day so that candidates can get more interview practice and coaching. The team is interviewing HR people to find out where they currently volunteer and what would attract them to volunteer with WTIA. |
| 3.3 | Create cross-sector partnerships to retain diverse employees and create a sense of connectedness to the Puget Sound region | The team is putting together a list of local resources pertaining to attracting and retaining diverse talent. Their goal is to have the resource list posted at the end of February. |
| 4.2 | Strengthening the entrepreneur ecosystem | Team is creating a reverse pitch competition: Senior level executives identify a problem that their company is facing and share that problem with startups to see if any can solve it. |
| 4.3 | Create a branding campaign that shows Washington State is a great place to start a business | The team is creating a list of resources for entrepreneurs to learn why WA is a great place to start a business. |
| 5.3 | Create an apprenticeship program for training and then hiring new employees (or moving current employees into new roles) | F5 has an Apprenti apprentice, and from this experience, the team will create a manual for onboarding apprentices |
| 7.1 | Create a Diversity Leadership Charter for the company | F5 in the process of creating a diversity leadership charter that will be shared via WTIA. |
Plays moving forward, with team members still developing an approach
| Play | Description |
|---|---|
| 2.1 | Bring together WTIA member organizations and target schools to develop the following programs: Teaching fellowship, Job opportunity app/platform, Career counseling |
| 3.4 | Create “Skybox” trouble ticket system for giving tech students the hands-on experience they need to get hired |
| 5.1 | “Create a database for matching job descriptions, company culture and educational requirements to candidate skill sets and values. NOTE: This team would like additional members. To join, please contact Julie Pham (jpham@washingtontechnology.org).” |
Canceled plays (Teams decided they did not have enough participation to continue.)
| Play | Description |
|---|---|
| 3.2 | Create a training program in IoT cybersecurity |
| 5.2 | Create a “You, Inc” program/site that enables employees to plan and track professional progress within the company, stay relevant, promote technical and soft skills, and share goals and interests |
| 6.2 | Have junior hires pitch an idea that would help the company to the CEO |
| 7.2 | Implement a technical (and/or other) skills certification program |
| 7.4 | Experiment with new ideas for retaining employees |
Based on conversations we’ve had with team members, we’ve begun to create a list of “What Works” in these collaborations. So far, we’ve learned that the teams that have made the most progress have:
- Developed a clear project focus, goal, and scope in the first team meeting
- Identified a team leader who is committed to the project and keeps the group on track
- Made sure they have team members with relevant resource/people networks
- Figured out quickly how to work together as a team
The teamwork that came out of FullConTech 2016 demonstrates the enthusiasm within our tech community for working together across sectors on projects that benefit the whole community. They also show people’s willingness to experiment, learn and adjust their approach. Even the teams that decided not to move forward with their projects had “lessons learned” to share with WTIA and are helping us get better at facilitating this kind of collaboration.
WTIA will have formal check-ins with the project teams at the end of February and will post another update on their progress.
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