How a week-long market in our office drives alignment and future planning

At Voys we don’t continue to do things just because we’ve always done them that way. As our ambitions and team grows, we always look for opportunities to not only challenge ourselves, but find the best and most effective way to continue to deliver high-quality, reliable, and innovative solutions that meet our customers’ needs.

That is why we recently changed our entire outlook process to the PACE week, in which we evaluate the projects from the previous cycle and define our projects to align with each other on our long term strategy. Curious to know what that looked like and why we do it? Then keep reading! 

The change to Voys PACE week

The change of outlook process came from a wish to innovate, align and progress faster. For a while it had been on the minds of colleagues to do something about our process, but in a busy day to day work schedule, a big, structural change never comes at a good time. However, at some point you just have to take the plunge, and so we did. 

We changed from two cycles a year, meaning two evaluation and outlook processes in one year, in which we reflect on our work. In this process (at least) one month went by to do the evaluation of our last episode, and define the new projects for the coming episode through our outlook process. It also only gave us two opportunities to define the next projects that will move us forward.

Now we have shortened it down to one week. 

We wanted a process that reflects the growth and pace that we work in, as well as brings the organisation closer together. The essential part of this was to speed up the process and connect with colleagues more. That is why we now have the ‘PACE’ week.

What does PACE stand for? 

The Voys PACE week is one week every quarter of the year, in which all colleagues get together and assess what they’ve done in the past quarter and what they will focus on in the coming quarter. PACE stands for Planning, Alignment & Cohesion Event.

During the PACE week, the office turns into a market, in which each circle has a stand where they present. One full day is dedicated to the evaluation of the last episode. The various circles present what they have been working on in the last few months and the outcomes of these projects. 

Two days later, we have one full day dedicated to looking forward and aligning our work. Here each circle presents the projects they will work on, why they are doing them, what they hope to achieve, and how they contribute to the long term strategy and goals of Voys. The rest of the week is used to process information and the learnings we gathered throughout the week, and talk together to align between all circles.

All colleagues are free to walk around and listen to the presentations of other circles, and you can decide which presentations you want to listen to. Usually the people within a circle coordinate which presentations are the most relevant, as well as to cover as many presentations as possible. This way we can all get a better understanding of what everyone is working on and align our work. 

Embracing the hybrid workplace

At Voys, we value the hybrid workplace, meaning that our colleagues can choose whether they want to work from the office or from home. This is also the case on the days during PACE week. After all, if we cannot accommodate hybrid work during our key events, can we truly say we support it?

So, how did we solve this when the office turned into a marketplace? 

All presentations have an online link, making it easy for everyone to join remotely. The facilitator ensures the presentation is visible both locally and online, and they keep an eye on Slack for any questions. 

Each circle records at least one presentation, so anyone who missed it or had internet trouble can watch it later. This also benefits those who weren’t working that day or prioritised other presentations. 

Even our social events, like the closing drinks, are fully online, ensuring everyone can participate. 

By changing our outlook process, we’re not just making changes for the sake of it. This new approach brings benefits that ripple through our entire company, impacting not only how we work together but also how we deliver value to our customers.

Now that you have a glimpse of what PACE week looks like, you might be wondering why it’s so beneficial. Let’s see!

Aligning to innovate  

Switching to this format for our outlook process brings more alignment within the company. While colleagues can read any updates on projects in Notion, this can be time consuming. Through presentations and chats with colleagues during the PACE week, it is much easier to get insights into what other circles have been working on, and their plans for the coming months.

In any job, you most likely need help or input from others to complete your tasks. By interacting more with other circles in the company, it is easier to discuss needs, for example what colleagues within sales would require in terms of marketing. This also sets clear expectations for the coming months, and helps everyone manage their time better. 

Additionally, it becomes clearer how every circle and sub-circle contributes to our goals. It also has the added benefit that colleagues with no roles in the circle can provide an outside perspective from their expertise, and hereby bring valuable input. The projects presented on the ‘outlook’-day of the PACE week are not set in stone, which means that these can be adjusted to what benefits the company.

By integrating feedback quickly and aligning our projects and work across all circles within the company, we’re able to not only consistently deliver a high-quality and reliable product, we can also look to the future, brainstorm new features, and continue to innovate, ultimately making it easier for our customers to manage their communications. 

A giant experiment 

Of course, changing such an important aspect of our operation is nerve-wracking and feels like a giant experiment. We won’t sugarcoat it, colleagues were excited, nervous and uncertain before the week began. Now we’re eager to see what works and what doesn’t. We believe that having an open mind and environment is crucial when changing processes. 

Everyone’s participation brought ideas for improvement, and this feedback is welcome. A small, but important detail was knowing where each circle was presenting. By day two of the first PACE-week, every circle had hung up a white A4 paper with the name of the circle. That way other colleagues knew where they could find what they were looking for.

Even though it was a busy week, it was great!

How do you work towards your goals?

Now that you know how we at Voys reach our goals and stay aligned, we’re curious to hear your approach. How do you work towards your goals at your company?