An Overview

The Team Health Assessment (THA) workshop is an evolution of learning from my experience (six years) managing product design teams. I started as a first-time manager with a team of six direct reports who supported 10 squads. 😰 As a first-time manager, I was a bit overwhelmed, which led me to dive in and start learning. Reading books, joining webinars, and listening to podcasts became a part of my daily routine. 

It’s important to point out that what has worked best for me may not be the best for you and your team. Consider this kit as a starting point - take what you like, leave what you don’t.

Of all the content I consumed, the two companies I’ve enjoyed learning from the most were Coa through their Emotionally Fit Leadership course and Design Dept’s Ensuring Quality Design. Leveraging employer resources, like LifeLabs Learning, played a large role in my easiest years of management. 

The assessment combines proven frameworks and personal experiences with capacity planning and attuning to my team. Later in the kit, I’ll discuss all the frameworks utilized to create this assessment version, including CSAT by Fred Reichheld, the CAMPS Survey from Life Labs, and the MBI burnout metric from Maslach and Leiter.

The workshop focuses on reviewing assessment scores and group discussion and wraps up with a reflection activity. A work of caution: It’s important to schedule the next check-in, and following through with the prioritized solutions will build trust with your team. The opposite is also true. If the ideas from this workshop are not explored or implemented, the overall trust in management can erode. 

I like automating this process by scheduling a reminder to the team. I add a reminder specifically for me to schedule the quarterly workshops.