The Power of Self-Organizing Teams: How We Built Fantasy Chess in Just Six Weeks
Magnus Carlsen, the world’s greatest chess player, flashed a thumbs up and a smile as he hung up the video call. “I think this will be good!” he exclaimed. Little did we know that six weeks later, we would be launching a beta version of Fantasy Chess, a game where players bet on pieces and their movements in top chess tournaments. With over 100 million registered players on Chess.com, the timing was perfect. But we had a daunting task ahead of us – building a working version of the game in just 30 days.
From Idea to Reality: The Philosophy Behind Our Success
We didn’t assemble a product team; instead, we let our company policy do the work. Every employee is free to spend a portion of their time on whatever they want, whether it’s volunteering for an ongoing project or starting a new one. This freedom allowed us to tap into the collective passion and creativity of our team members.
The inspiration behind our product management philosophy dates back to the 1970s, when 3M developed the Post-it note. What started as a failed experiment in creating a super-strong adhesive turned into a revolutionary product. The key to 3M’s success lay in their unique approach to product development: giving employees the freedom to explore new ideas and allocate their time as they saw fit.
Empowering Innovation
At Iterate, we adopted a similar philosophy. We believe that by giving our people the autonomy to choose their projects and manage their time, we can unlock their full potential. This approach not only fosters innovation but also promotes a sense of responsibility and accountability among team members.
When we announced the Fantasy Chess project, a group of passionate and motivated individuals came together to make it a reality. Our team was diverse, comprising coders, designers, and a team lead with a background in both coding and design. They worked together seamlessly, deciding on a simple heartbeat – daily status meetings – to stay in sync.
The Secret to Our Success
So, what made our team tick? For starters, everyone felt a shared responsibility for realizing the product as a whole. Designers, coders, and marketers worked together, sharing their expertise and opinions to create a cohesive product. We also had a clear goal: to build a beta version of the game in six weeks. The collaboration with the Norway Chess tournament and Magnus Carlsen provided us with the necessary network and expertise to make it happen.
The Power of Experimentation and Learning
In today’s fast-paced world, experimentation and learning are essential for innovation. By empowering our people to self-organize and decide their own projects, we increased our scope of experimentation and learning. This approach allowed us to break records and build something from scratch in just six weeks.
The key takeaway from our experience is that by trusting our people and giving them the freedom to innovate, we can achieve remarkable results. By adopting a similar philosophy, you can unlock the full potential of your team and create products that truly make a difference.