Defying the Status Quo: How a grassroots effort can transform an organization¶
Description
When I presented at WTD NA in 2017 (Treating Documentation Like Code: A Practical Account), an audience member asked me afterwards what organizational barriers I'd dealt with and how I got past them. At that point, the answer was "none" -- the road had been pretty easy so far.
Fast-forward two years and my answer is now very different. My little docs-like-code project quickly gained traction across the company. As the adoption rate grew, so did the visibility of the project up the chain of the organization. The more people knew about it, the more they either wanted to join in or to stop it in its tracks.
Through supportive education, thoughtful consideration, and consistency of messaging, I saw the project grow from a stop-gap solution to the basis for a burgeoning company-wide digital transformation effort.
In this talk, I'll use the elements of my journey to reflect on the following topics:
- Helping others succeed ultimately helps you to succeed.
- You are the expert on your project. You are its best advocate.
- Approach roadblocks and pitfalls thoughtfully instead of emotionally.
- Be consistent in your messaging to bridge political discussions.
- Be patient. Change takes time.
- Conference: Write the Docs PORTLAND
- Year: 2019
