JAMA Network came to us through One Design, a Chicago web design firm, who recommended TXI for developing the app’s technical functionality, as well as handling project management. Because JAMA Network didn’t really know anything about TXI, we knew we needed to start off by getting everyone comfortable with one another.
To do that, we kicked the project off with a two-day Inception designed to let us go deep on JAMA’s business, its users, and how the two sides’ needs would come together.
We started by getting people out of their comfort zone. One way to build trust is to try something new — and give everyone a space where they can feel safe failing — together. So we busted out the Legos and spent a few hours playing our Agile Lego game. That taught the JAMA Network team how to work in Agile, by building a Lego structure using the process, and gave everyone a chance to shake off any new-partnership nerves and loosen up with some laughs.