Step 1: Set Up the Room

We recommend getting to your venue early so that you have plenty of time to set up the room. You’ll need to have all your stationery, photographs, and materials set out in the right places. Make sure to look at the checklist for what to bring here. Before the participants arrive, make sure the items in this checklist are set up and ready to go.

Squad Diagrams

Hang your empty squad diagrams on the walls. As described in Empty Squad Diagrams, squad diagrams are the empty placeholders for each of the squads you want to create. Make sure that the squad diagrams are far enough from each other so that people have to physically move to add their photo and join a squad. This will energize everyone and make it easy to see who has chosen which squad just by looking at where they stand during the event.

If you have tribes or business units, the diagrams for the squads within them should be placed next to each other. Not only will this make it easier to see the big picture, but it will also be helpful in the hopefully rare case when a person has to be shared between squads.

The larger your group, the more consideration you’ll need to give to placing your squad diagrams. And don’t forget to have a “Not in a Squad” diagram as described here. This is useful if people want to highlight that they are available for selection and want to be approached.

Photo Table

Lay out everyone’s photograph on a table as shown here so that participants can pick theirs up as they walk in. This is an important step in making everyone feel welcome. It also ensures that people actively take part in the event by moving their photos around. It’s also a good idea to place a stack of printed FAQ sheets next to the table. See the Sample FAQs for an example.

Also important: make sure to double-check that you have everyone’s picture. If you forget someone, that person will probably feel excluded, and you’ll be off to a bad start. It can happen easily if you have a large group of people, so make sure to cross check the photos with your attendee list.

Countdown Clock

Project a large countdown clock or timer onto the wall so that people can see during the day how far they are into any of the self-selection iterations. A big timer sets the expectation that things will flow and generates a sense of urgency.

If you’re unsure whether people will notice that a round has ended, bring a whistle or another instrument that makes a loud noise to signal the end of a round.

Supporting Materials

Display supporting materials on the walls. During the squadification event at Trade Me, we posted explanations of roles that not everyone necessarily understood yet, such as squad master and product owner . We also displayed role posters in several places around the room so that they could feed into any relevant conversations throughout the day.

Another good visual is to prominently display a banner with the words “Do what is best for your company,” like the one mentioned here. This can provide a good backdrop for the event and remind participants of the overarching principle of the day.

Here’s an example layout of a squadification room: