We have just been moved into different teams for premium portfolio bootcamp of SidehustleNig[lms.terrahq.co]. The atmosphere is new and the expectation is not defined probably because we do not know each other and some of the team members are new to slack app. After the on-boarding session with the facilitator, Damilare, we were hopeful but fearful because we did not exactly know how to get started.

It's a new dawn and the task have been given which required every team to select a team lead who will be serve as a product manager and scrum master. We could not exactly decide because as of the first day, we had 4 persons in the channel; Lydia, Nkechi, Peter and myself. Nevertheless, I sent the first chat and it was turned down. Got no response, here again I introduced myself and expected feedback and no one responded. It beginning to feel like I am being too dramatic or assertive. After my snubbing era, comes Abisola and Spencer whose energy was beginning to feel like we are doing this. They are very responsive.

Firstly, we urgently needed a team lead, because we are 3 days behind schedule and we need to act fast in order to cover up. I volunteered to lead the team. Then I set up a meeting which I called MEET THE TEAM. this is basically the first meeting PMs have. This is important because it allows the team to get to know themselves, understand each others roles and get on the task. On our first meeting was very successful. Half of the team showed up leaving us to be 5 PMs out of 10. Did I forget to mention to you our task? The task is "Using a product as a case study, go through the design thinking process, and improve the product with a userflow and wireframe. show your research with google forms, ideate with miro, prototype with Whimsical and test with real users

Funnily enough, prior to this task, I have only heard of Miro, Whimsical and Hashnode but never done anything with them but since delivering is part of the job, I have to learn fast to lead the team effectively. I remember Spencer asking me how he could sign up on Miro. In my mind, google is your friend... but I managed to put him through anyway.

In the meeting, far beyond getting to know each other, we are determined to learn and understand the task. We started by analysing the task, broke it into smaller parts and structured it into steps to enable us deliver. Kudos to smart colleagues like Spencer and Sola. We didn't want to end the meeting without a mini task for the team or plan of action. PM meetings are generally characterised this way, always have feedbacks and plan of actions guiding the team delivery. the next steps must be precise and clear. Always ask the question "What happens next?" or "what next?"

This question is indeed a life saver. it has helped to figure out what to do over time, step away from confusion and identify what is missing even when we think we've seen the light. In the first meeting, we decided to use KUDA app as our product case study following previous trend on the fintech company's product. We assigned a task to the team which is to check out reviews and understudy the product, the feedback from the reviews will guide us in making user research to improve the Userflow of the product. Using Miro, we created a Frame for each team member with enough stickers to take their reviews.

Wait! there are lot of things we discussed and maped out using Miro not just creating. In the next article, I will share my experience on the second meeting. It will help you understand what to do after your first PM meeting.

#Kelechindieze