Introduction to Self-Evaluation for Experimental Teams
"Comparing yourself to yourself gives you the power to progress ".
Access to Self-Evaluation for Experimental Teams
At Henkan & Partners, we find that when it comes to experimentation, it's common for companies to compare themselves to competitors or other organizations. However, this approach often overlooks the unique characteristics that make each company distinct, such as team structure, budgets, objectives, digital maturity and industry specifics. Recognizing these differences is crucial, which is why we've developed this comprehensive self-assessment tool for experimentation teams.
The inspiration for this tool came from the world of top-level athletes. After a match, athletes, together with their coaches, evaluate their performance by asking critical questions about their strengths and weaknesses. This self-assessment enables them to take targeted action based on their real-life experiences, promoting continuous improvement. Similarly, this self-assessment tool aims to provide experimental teams with the means to evaluate themselves honestly and systematically.
The main advantages of this tool
Self-Directed Improvement: By enabling teams to self-assess, this tool enables them to identify their current challenges based on their own experiences. This approach ensures that the assessment is relevant and actionable, adapted to the team's specific context.
Holistic Assessment: This tool encourages teams to examine their performance from short-, medium- and long-term perspectives. Regular assessments help teams track their progress over time, providing valuable feedback on how they are improving in the face of identified problems.
Managerial overview: For managers, this tool offers a structured way of assessing the capabilities of their teams. It can also serve as a 360-degree feedback mechanism, where team members, peers and management can all provide feedback on team performance.
Tailored to Unique Needs: Unlike traditional benchmarks against competitors, this self-assessment respects the unique circumstances of each team. It offers a personalized view that can guide strategic decisions and development plans.
How to use this tool
Individual evaluation: Each team member can answer the questions to provide a personal assessment of the team's performance. The results can then be aggregated to give an overall picture.
Team Assessment: Use this tool at team meetings to discuss and answer questions collectively. This encourages open dialogue and a shared understanding of strengths and weaknesses.
Managerial assessment: Managers can use this tool to assess their team and identify areas requiring additional support or resources.
When to use this tool
Project start: Use the self-assessment at the start of a new project or initiative to establish a baseline of the team's current capabilities.
Periodic review: Carry out regular self-assessments (e.g. quarterly) to monitor progress and adjust strategies accordingly.
After a Key Event: After the end of a major project or experimental campaign, use self-assessment to analyze performance and draw lessons for the future.
Before a strategic meeting: Before strategic or annual planning meetings, carry out a self-assessment to inform discussions and decisions.
How Self-Evaluation works
The self-assessment comprises around 20 questions, divided into five key categories: strategic, operational, technical, cultural and analytical issues. Each category is designed to cover critical aspects of the experiment, ensuring a comprehensive assessment:
Strategic issues: Evaluate the extent to which experimentation objectives are aligned with corporate goals, the balance between short- and long-term gains, management support, iteration frequency and impact measurement.
Operational issues: Assess the clarity and actionability of hypotheses, the presence of a centralized knowledge base, the effectiveness of communication, the adequacy of resources and the distribution of experimentation practices between teams.
Technical issues: Examine sample size, completeness of data collection, technical constraints and integration of experimental tools with existing systems.
Cultural issues: Examine the organization's openness to change and experimentation, dependence on tools, accessibility of data between departments, and navigation of regulatory and compliance challenges.
Analytical issues: Evaluate the accuracy of data interpretation, the presence of bias in test design, the availability of resources and the complexity of test implementation without disrupting the user experience or the current roadmap.
Define short, medium and long-term objectives
After completing the self-assessment and obtaining the scores, it is essential to set short-, medium- and long-term objectives to improve the weak points identified. This helps to structure continuous improvement and monitor progress.
Short-term objectives: Identify immediate and rapid actions to be taken to solve the most pressing problems. For example, improve internal communication or adjust sample sizes for future experiments.
Medium-term objectives: Plan initiatives over several months to address more complex issues, such as setting up a centralized knowledge base or integrating new technological tools.
Long-term objectives: Develop long-term strategies for sustainable improvements, such as developing analytical skills within the team, or constantly aligning experimentation objectives with the company's strategic goals.
By assessing themselves with these questions, teams can gain a nuanced understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. This tool enables teams to take proactive steps to improve, fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.
In conclusion, this self-assessment tool isn't just another benchmark against competitors; it's an introspective, customized approach designed to help experimentation teams excel on their own terms. It's an essential part of improving your team, providing valuable information that stimulates significant progress and long-term success.
Access to Self-Evaluation for Experimental Teams
How to use the Self-Evaluation Tool: Two practical examples
At Henkan & Partners, we firmly believe in the importance of self-assessment for experimental teams. Here are two concrete examples of how we use this tool to continually improve our programs and collaborations with our customers.
Example 1: Quarterly assessment
The reason I like to use this self-assessment is to carry out a quarterly evaluation. As a professional who is constantly looking to improve my program and challenge myself, I need tangible data to guide my actions. Coming from the field of experimentation, we value data. Having these twenty or so evaluation points allows me to critically examine the performance of my program, which I particularly appreciate.
When we work with our customers, we like to gather around a table, usually in groups of 3 or 4, to carry out this quarterly evaluation. This allows us to see how our program has evolved.
For example, we recently compared the results of the first quarter of 2024 with those of the second quarter. We had implemented a new tool with this customer to accelerate their test volume, and the results were very positive: a noticeable improvement in the tool-related criterion was observed. However, we also noted a slight drop in communication, which is an area for further investigation. Similarly, support showed an improvement.
Based on these observations, we define short, medium and long-term objectives:
Short-term: Actions to be carried out in the coming weeks or over the current quarter, such as improving internal communication.
Medium-term: Initiatives over two quarters, such as optimizing our centralized knowledge base.
Long-term: Annual strategies, such as developing analytical skills within the team.
We note, for example, that iteration is often a weak point. We've noticed that this customer consistently gives this criterion a low score. This indicates an urgent need for improvement, such as integrating more rigorous iteration cycles for testing, where the winning tests are put into production and the losers are analyzed for future improvements.
Example 2: Program Performance Perspective
Another use for self-assessment is to measure a program's overall performance. These assessments, although subjective, are extremely revealing when carried out with different levels of management. For example, doing this exercise with your direct manager, such as the head of experimentation or the VP, enables you to understand different perspectives on the program.
This 360-degree feedback is essential for identifying areas for improvement that you may not have considered, but which are perceived by your manager or other stakeholders. For example, your manager may have ideas about specific areas where your program can improve, and vice versa. Carrying out this self-assessment either quarterly or half-yearly with your line manager is an excellent exercise in aligning perceptions and objectives.
Conclusion
Use this self-assessment tool to obtain clear definitions of each category and guide your team towards continuous improvement. Whether as an individual, a team or in collaboration with your management, this exercise will help you make informed decisions in the short, medium and long term. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to contact us.
