Journey Line

Subject

Empower People / Team start-up

Participants

The entire team

Facilitator

Agile Coach / Agile Master

Summary

A journey line describes a person's professional journey. Its starting point can be as far into the past as the person wants.

Definition

Graph showing ups and downs of ones professional career path

Motivation

Unleash and utilize the wisdom of everyone in the group, raise motivation, engagement, feeling of responsibility and collective ownership.

Results

Open feedback and shown appreciation.

Benefit

Each person can introduce himself/herself to the other team members. Deeper and more personal connections arise among team members.

Procedure

In approx. 10 minutes everyone shall prepare a graph of his professional journey, with an upwards tending graph for positive phases and tending downwards for negative phases. E.g. milestones or particular events may be highlighted using sticky notes. There are no guidelines on how to design, to color or to beautify the drwaing. After everyone has completed the sketch of their own journey lines, each person presents his/her own story to the rest of the team. The audience takes notes about important aspects like the presenting person's skills, interests, experiences which can be set up for the upcoming work together.

Tools

Whiteboard/flipchart, sticky notes

Hints

A certain amount of self confidence is needed to present ones own professional career, so you might think of one person of the team who seems to be comfortable in this situation and let her/him start.

See also

Lyssa Adkins, 'Coaching agile teams'