Remember when you were in university and had to join other members of your class in a group assignment? Remember the anxiety from having to think of their possible work ethic? Or the fear that they wouldn't care about your grades? Or the crippling realization that you may eventually have to complete the assignment by your lonesome? Well, allow me to take you down memory lane as we explore my Week 1 group task in the Side Hustle 7.0 Product Management Bootcamp.
To cut your suspense short, none of these fears manifested in my group task as I had amazing team members who responded quickly and completed tasks efficiently.
Going into Week 1 of the Bootcamp, I assumed the leadership position of my team and became the Team Lead, aka "TL" (a shortened version given by an "evil" member of my team). While settling into my leadership role, I realized I may have bitten more than I could chew by accepting to be the leader of a newly formed team for a task I wasn't familiar with.
However, I waved off my anxiety under the rationale that I'm not new to leadership and I only needed to see the big picture of the task. This thought helped me settle my conflicted mind and switch to a prepared mind for the task.
Unravelling the task was the next hurdle to cross and this was where the Assistant Team Lead, Albert, proved to be a blessing. Despite mourning the loss of someone dear to him, he was up and running about the interpretation of the task. We compared verbal notes on the guide to the task and did further research on the Internet about it.
After finding something to hold on to for direction, we got in touch with Product Design Group 7, our compatriots of some fashion. The Product Design Team Leads, David and Miracle, were amazing. The four of us had an Internet call where they pledged their support to our cause and reiterated that they would do whatever designs we asked.
After securing the fealty of the designers, I facilitated a meeting with my Product Management teammates to discuss the overview of our assignment. Everyone was present at the virtual meeting, filling me with delight that this wasn't university all over again. My teammates made reasonable contributions, and we ended the meeting with each person being the owner of a different section of the PRD.
By Day 3, my teammates had wowed me with the detailed completion of their various sections. I immediately went into editing and proofreading mode to make sure our ideas tallied.
On Day 4, the Designers sent in their user personas, which I embedded into our PRD. I also took inspiration from the personas and their storyboard to create user scenarios for the PRD. Afterward, I continued to edit for a perfect PRD. My teammates weren't left out of editing as they got involved in spotting errors and correcting them.
Today is Day 5, and I'm writing this story hours before our final submission. Once I submit the project to the Administrator of the Bootcamp, I'm certain I'll let out a breath of relief that this wasn't university all over again.
PS: If you read this story immediately after I upload it, you can view our PRD before the Administrator sees it. Consider it a gift for reading till the end: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kXotkc3II8gKAkFNQr_BMM-jkU8_8fyf_U-cQMJ8xTg/edit?usp=drivesdk