Getting a vision for your business is just the beginning: if you really want to get the most out of your workplace’s unique qualities, from plan implementations to employee relationships, you need a workplace strategy. A well-planned, finely-honed strategy can be the kind of blueprint that can push a business to the next level, and is every bit as important — even more so — than an office’s location and layout. Aura’s integrated, proprietary approach to help with strategic planning and development features a multi-step procedure that will cover as many bases as possible to make your workplace strategy its most effective.

 

Key amongst the steps in this procedure is the hackathon. Originally a term developed to describe a mass of computer programmers and software developers collaborating on creating new software and hardware, the hackathon has grown past its coder origins to describe similar concentrated efforts where large groups focus on quick, brainstorming problem-solving ideas to help employees deal with day-to-day work experiences. Here are some of the questions Aura asks during these hackathons:

 

What are the top “pain points”?

It’s often best, and sometimes easiest, to go right for the big problems to start. Prioritization is key, of course — you want to figure out how to correct accessibility issues or obsolete hardware, for instance, before moving on to the smaller things — but once the big issues are handled, the smaller stuff tends to fall into place that much easier.

 

How can we solve this?

Anyone who’s dealt with a companywide issue, no matter the size, is best prepared knowing that there’s no such thing as a problem with only one solution. With the numbers of people and ideas involved in a hackathon, there’s no shortage of possible proposed solutions, and having as many options out there as possible to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of is an ideal way to narrow down what fix is best for your business.

 

Who are the stakeholders?

This question isn’t just considered in the literal sense, where companies fresh off IPOs have to worry about their shareholders’ investments. The “stakeholders” here can be anybody with a hand in your business’s success, including employees, clients, and even the surrounding community. Taking all these factors into account will go a long way towards internalizing solutions that benefit as many people as possible.

 

How will it work?

There are concepts, and then there are results, and in between is the “how” of it all. When the methodology isn’t there, the solution isn’t, either, so deployment of particular strategies and ideas is always factored in to make sure that they’re not just theoretically interesting but practically viable.

 

How will we measure success?

Is your business making incremental steps, or is it an all-hands-on-deck overhaul? Is the goal increased profit, greater productivity, or employee happiness? And how will you know you’ve hit your stride? These are the kinds of questions that seem self-evident at the start, but prove to be vitally important in the long run.

Aura’s team of workplace design experts are here to help you help your business thrive and expand with a unique, personalized strategy. Just contact us to learn more!

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