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My User Manual

My user manuals are a helpful tool to share your working style, communication preferences, and other details with your team and co-workers. 

Pencil icon
Prep Time
30 mins
Stopwatch icon
Run Time
60 mins
Connected people icon
People
2-10
People using magnifying glass

My User Manual

My user manuals are a helpful tool to share your working style, communication preferences, and other details with your team and co-workers. 

People using magnifying glass on board
Pencil
Prep Time
30 mins
Stopwatch icon
Run Time
60 mins
Connected people icon
People
2-10

My User Manual

My user manuals are a helpful tool to share your working style, communication preferences, and other details with your team and co-workers. 

Pencil icon
Prep Time
30 mins
Stopwatch icon
Run Time
60 mins
Connected people icon
People
2-10
Meeples collaborating on a retrospective

My User Manual in action

A team member shares her user manual in Confluence over Zoom.

Sample elements of a My User Manual document include work setup and communication preferences.

This team gathers to share their user manuals in person and on video chat.

What you'll need

Remote

Video conferencing with screen sharing

User manuals (see templates)

In-Person

Meeting space

Large screen projector

User manuals (see templates)

Optional templates

Atlassian Templates
Confluence Template

Instructions for running this Play

1. Prep 30 MIN

Before the meeting, have each team member complete a user manual using one of the templates provided if you’d like or by creating one of your own. Let them know they can choose to complete whichever prompts they feel comfortable sharing. Here are some thought starters: 

Work

  • What is your work and life set up? 
  • Where do you typically work from?
  • What work hours do you keep? 

 

Communicate

  • What are the best ways to communicate with you?
  • What are the worst ways to communicate with you? 
  • What communication channels do you prefer? 

 

Feedback

  • How do you like to receive feedback?
  • What formats for feedback work for you?

 

Values 

  • What are your top 3 values in life?

 

Achieve

  • What is your proudest achievement ever? 
Tip: OWN IT

We’ve provided prompts in the template but we encourage you to make it your own with bold colors, plentiful memes, and random factoids.

2. Set the stage 5 MIN

Let your team know the following at the start of the meeting: 

  • This activity is designed for team members to understand how to support each other’s ideal conditions for getting their best work done.
  • No one will be pressured to share anything they’re not comfortable sharing. 
  • This meeting is a safe space. Nothing they share will be used against them.
Tip: NEW HIRES

When new hires start, add creating and presenting their user manual as a task for their first 90 days.

Tip: KICK OFF

Create and share user manuals when kicking off a new project.

3. Share 55 MIN

Each team member shares their user manual with the team and answers any questions teammates have on the content.

Picture on best ways to communicate
EXAMPLE: COMMUNICATION

Here’s what the “How I like to communicate” section of a user manual might look like


Follow-up

Save it

Keep your team’s user manuals archived in your team's Confluence space or other file-sharing space so future teammates can get up to speed quickly.

Variations

Test the waters

For a shorter meeting, try limiting the template to questions around working hours, ideal environment, communication preferences, and learning styles before diving into anything longer and deeper.

Add some personality

Have team members complete a personality test or training together, such as DiSC, Strengths Finder, or Myers-Briggs. Share and discuss the results as a team.


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Still have questions?

Start a conversation with other Atlassian Team Playbook users, get support, or provide feedback.

Still have questions?

Start a conversation with other Atlassian Team Playbook users, get support, or provide feedback.

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