Design & Agile development cohort

Description

We are initiating aDesign & Agile Development Cohort, where a group of practitioners from the world of product and service design and development will collaboratively and individually explore applications and possibilities to implement methods and SenseMaker practically in their clients or organisation. We already have our first teams signed up and are looking to flesh out the cohort with clients and partners we believe have a lot to contribute.

How it will work

A limited number (<8 teams in this inaugural cohort will embark on a 3 month journey of experimentation, peer learning and expert mentoring. This is a unique opportunity to join others who share an interest in applying complexity to the wicked problems they face within the Agile space.

Each team will be exploring a potential application in their own context, with significant flexibility to lean into the areas that interest you. Possible applications we are seeding and envisaging include those below, however we are always open to new ideas!

Unarticulated Customer Needs Mapping through indirect ethnography
Managing and understanding Remote Work Culture effectively
Transforming Retrospectives into dynamic learning and reflection threads
Enriching development team feedback from stakeholders on impact
Deepening user stories and personas based on actual data from real users

Scope / Commitment

This is a new programme with open-ended outcomes; we believe the mentoring cohort structure will allow different clients to gain unique value. Cohort participants will explore, develop and pilot their own narrative / SenseMaker® project in Agile spaces, with support structures including the following:

Six (6) facilitated cohort group sessions -hosted on Zoom, 2 per month, 2 hrs each (recorded for review)
One 3-month pilot SenseMaker® Agile project with a 400 responses limit
3 hours of 1-on-1 discussion and mentoring with Cynefin Co team (1 hr/month)
Private cohort Slack / Haunt discussion channels for ongoing sharing and support
Access to any shared libraries of signifiers as we develop them
Access to extensive online (recorded) Cynefin x Agile materials

We’re determined to make learning fun and practical, and in this case, intimate. We will provide input and mentoring from our Cynefin Co team and Agile experts in both small group sharing / collaborative settings and 1-on-1 focus/input formats – however, the intention is more of a community of practice / JAD style than traditional training and we acknowledge that every participant is an expert in their own right.

Timeframe: Q1 2024, potentially running into Q2. We are targeting Tuesday cohort sessions (every second week) to suit EU and USA time zones. However, these times and dates will be flexible as much as we can, based on cohort needs.

Who is this for?

If you’re conversant with complexity and have always wanted to apply it to the intractable problems that you face but you’re still figuring out how best to prepare the substrate – or get stakeholder buy-in, in non-complexity speak – this Agile Community Dev Cohort experience may be for you.

You could also be reasonably experienced with the principles behind SenseMaker® and complexity, but wanting to collaborate with others in experimental approaches. Whatever your profile or experience level, we will match it with our team of experienced facilitators and guest experts.

However, please note that this is not a beginner’s introduction to Cynefin, narrative or SenseMaker. If you or your team are new to our work, we will provide online self-paced resources and an initial “Cynefin and SenseMaker 101” facilitated learning session to support your team’s full engagement.

ADD-Ons

This cohort concentrates on the development and piloting of an application of our methods and tools, often within a particular team or department and for a limited 3-month period. Should you wish to continue using your SenseMaker software application thereafter, regular SenseMaker annual licensing fees would apply.
This constraint on the facilitator-participant ratio is intended to be an enabling one. However, should you feel the need for more input from our Cynefin Co team via more 1-on-1 mentorship hours, this is available at industry-standard rates of £375 per hour (or alternative packages)
If you are looking for a more bespoke, private experience and are not able to share your thoughts and ideas with a broader collective of other cohort members, please discuss private mentoring / FastLaunch options with us.

Pricing

Please note this initial cohort is “by invitation” and we are giving selected partners and clients a low-cost “try before you buy” pilot opportunity to explore and co-develop applications for implementation within their organisations.

Commercial participation is costed at £3,000 for a team of up to 3 people.
Nonprofits and academics may qualify for discounts of up to £1,500 – please inquire.
Additional team members may be added at £300 per person, capped teams of 6.
This cohort will be limited to a maximum of 8 teams to ensure quality and support

The team

Your journey will be supported by the Cynefin Co Agile team of Jules Yim, Tom Kerwin & Donna Glanvill as your cohort anchor facilitators.

Cohort sessions will incorporate input from Dave Snowden and other relevant Cynefin Co team members
Cohort sessions will also include well-known guest speakers/contributors from the Cynefin x Agile network (TBC)

Cancellations

CancellationsVoluntary cancellations are permitted up to 3 weeks prior to the course start and a 50% refund will be provided. No refunds for cancellations made 3 weeks or less prior to event. Attendee substitutions are permitted at any time.

Rescheduling

Cognitive Edge reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule training sessions if staff illness or lockdowns prevent us proceeding. In the event of cancellation or rescheduling, a registered attendee can request a full refund of course fees. Refunds will be processed within ten (10) business days of refund request.