Gluestep Guide: How to Begin
We designed Gluestep to support rapid startup. Gluestep is so flexible and fast-starting that it begins with whatever information you can provide at the beginning, you just need to decide whether to begin by building your Gluestep map, or by gathering feedback.
Gluestep works with you, not against you and uses your initial input information to give you something useful and actionable in return. The picture will develop and evolve as you continue to use Gluestep. It is not aiming for 100% or perfection on the first day, but it does not need to wait for 100% inputs to be useful.
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Read on for more
Choose where to start
Do you know enough about your situation to go straight to feedback? Then begin with one of our Project Templates in the Gluestep Shop.
Or do you want to get a sense of the landscape, to map the situation, get a high-level scorecard first? In which case, begin with a Framework Template, also available in the Gluestep Shop.
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Or you can always get in touch to talk through how we can tailor a solution for your needs by contacting us.
Talk to us for advice?
We can help you decide how to start your Gluestep deployment, from a quick conversation all the way to in-depth analysis of your situation.
We want you to make a great start so go to our Services page to find out more.
Try a ready to use template?
We want Gluestep to be simple to start, so we have built templates for you to try out in our Shop, whether you want to start with a scorecard Framework or a feedback Project, you can find something to suit your industry and context.
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Just choose your template, add your participants at checkout and get going!
Add more Gluestep
However you start, adding more Gluestep and increasing the mapping and feedback capabilities in your organisation is easy.
You can build more layers of feedback, for instance adding different teams with their own Gluestep Projects, or expand from a division-level mapping Framework to a region or whole organisation and get the whole picture.
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Find expansion templates in the Shop.
Starting a new project? Set it up with Gluestep from the start and keep the initiative on track.
Delivering a service? Use Gluestep feedback to ensure your customers and users are satisfied.
Need Gluestep for large teams?
Gluestep is highly effective at gathering repeating feedback from larger groups, giving you the visibility across dispersed teams you need.
Go to our Services page to engage us to help with design and high-volume rollout.
Beginning with Gluestep: an example
Raffi chooses Gluestep
Raffi is an executive in a large organisation and is the sponsor of their latest transformation project.
She is not happy with the way the project team keeps reporting issues to her at the last minute, or after they have blown up and become visible at a senior level.
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Raffi decides to adopt Gluestep.
She uses a Gluestep Framework template to produce a scorecard for the transformation, which shows that they have significant gaps between their strategic plans and their capabilities to deliver.
The completed Framework informs her planning of improvements with her boss, Jean-Luc, and her fellow executive, Seven.
Raffi uses Gluestep to gain control
Using the scorecard ratings in their Gluestep Framework to guide them, Raffi selects two problem areas: operating model design and a large supplier contract.
She sets up Gluestep Projects designed to gather feedback and track issue resolution over the next 6 months.
The operating model design team includes Agnes, Rios, Elnor and Seven, with Rios to manage it in Gluestep, and the supplier contract team will be Soji, Will, Laris and Beverly who will manage it.
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In both teams, Raffi and Seven have a Gluestep Director role enabling them to see status, feedback and trend at all times.
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The teams will provide feedback ratings and comments each week. This information will be used to sense-check and validate other reporting and status information, for instance the kanban wall used by the operating model design team, and used to target actions and remediations.
Gluestep helps find and fix issues
Each team holds regular reviews and use the information in Gluestep to identify and tackle issues
Gluestep helps by identifying the most severe issues in each cycle, and the trend for each area so the teams can see that their remediation and improvement efforts are actually working.
In one example, Gluestep was able to show them that the supplier contract team had missed a vital connection to the operating model design project, but this was found in time to avoid expensive rework.
In another example, Gluestep identified an outlier issue noticed only by Agnes early on, where a set of exception processes for high-impacy, low-probability events had been missed from the design and these were identified and added to the backlog in time.
With the trend visibility Gluestep provided, Raffi and Seven were also able to predict an availability shortfall and secure more resource funding from Jean-Luc to keep the transformation on schedule.
More people join their Gluestep teams
As the projects progress, the operating model design project starts to experience resistance from an influential executive, Q, who is making noise about the transformation being inadequate and poorly conceived.
Raffi responds by adding Q to the team for operating model design project, so his concerns can be captured, but also made more specific and actionable. Raffi uses the Gluestep QR code page to distribute an easy-to-find link for Gluestep sign-ups
Gluestep Projects are rated in a way that means cells are green only when you are absolutely sure there is nothing wrong, so Q has to put his problems into the TR or else be happy. This forces real issues out into the open, and eliminates generalised non-specific grumbling.
They add Gluestep for change management
Finally moving into the implementation and adoption phase of their transformation, Raffi decides that it is time to add another Gluestep project, but this time one designed to track change readiness and adoption - a 'Red Start' project
A Gluestep 'Red Start' project begins with everything set to red, so everything is not ready for the change. Participants are asked to change this to green when they are completely happy and ready for the change. In this way, managers and executives can see the change readiness moving across the rating matrix, identify delays and resistance and steer the change forwards.
Raffi includes all members of the two original teams, but also adds someone she knows to be sceptical of the transformation, Worf, so she can monitor how effective the change team is in convincing him to get behind the project, and she also includes an enthusiastic supporter, Guinan, who's positive ratings will help act as a lead for the other members.
Gluestep leads to success
Raffi's transformation project is a success.
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Like all projects and anywhere that people are attempting to do something difficult and worthwhile, Raffi experienced issues and setbacks along the way, but Gluestep enabled her to find them earlier and apply fixes more effectively.
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Gluestep gave Raffi the means to demonstrate this to Jean-Luc and Seven, so they remained confident in her ability to deliver and gave support and assistance as they saw it was needed. Even Q became helpful.
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For the teams, they liked the way Gluestep gave them a mechanism to raise issues early even when they were uncertain of how real or accurate they were, enabled team assessment of the issues as more became known about them and meant that concerns did not get forgotten or suppressed by louder voices.
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If you want the same results as Raffi, start with a template in our Shop. or contact us to learn more.
