Moving forward in the arsenal of tools are the JAD sessions. JAD (Joint Application Discovery) is also known as discovery sessions in which the truth of processes, procedures, or workflow is truly brought to light.
JAD goes beyond the regular interview by pulling resources together to perform a review involving those previously in singular or panel interviews. The depth of the project will give an idea to the length and number of JAD sessions to hold. The sessions can run all day for a week or two or for a couple of two-hour sessions with breaks. As discussed in my earlier blogs, the building of positive relationships becomes handy in conducting JAD sessions.
Preparation for JAD discussions will aid in moving through the sessions smoothly. JAD sessions require a facilitator to speak and data documentation to occur simultaneously. The Project Manager (PM) will likely facilitate the sessions and some else can document information presented by the various participants. Here are a list of items to help in conducting successful JAD sessions:
- Reserve a room and set a conference call for offsite resources
- Establish a JAD facilitator for each meeting
- Establish a secretary to document each meeting
- Use a white board or overhead in each meeting to bring topic focus
- Circulate a meeting agenda with invitees, day, time, location, and project discussion topics
- Set meeting rules (encourage professional & discourage multitasking)
- Perform introductions (person/responsibility/department)
- Speak on the project vision and reference requirements to answer project demands
- Have workflow diagrams copies and other documentation for attendees
The above list does not guarantee topic resolution in a meeting but does provide an aid for associates to prepare and invite other resource personnel. This also helps to establish goals and milestones for each meeting. There are other specifics to handle in each session.
Remember after coving a topic to ask if there are any additional comments to give everyone a chance to speak. Slate a topic for later discussion if the resource personnel are not present or if the topic requires additional research and time. Side bar conversations will occur in meetings and encourage the sharing information relevant to the discussion. Stay within the meeting time constraints, starting on time, allot topic discussion time, provide a summary, and close the meeting.
The objective in the JAD sessions should result in:
- Uncovering current knowledge procedural gaps
- Determining if the methods, procedures, processes, and personnel are correct as thought
- Discovering boundaries hindering project success
JAD Sessions yield information for the next tool in the series, The GAP Analysis.
