VA/VE Best Practice: Start with Hybrid

Key Activity: Inviting Participants & Start the VA/VE Event

Depending on your needs, there are different ways to approach a VA/VE review using CoLab. Here are 2 examples: 

1. Hybrid (Asynchronous and Synchronous) VA/VE Events: In a live or virtual VA/VE workshop, CoLab is used to facilitate the kick off and idea generation/prioritization. Both onsite and virtual participants can contribute their ideas in CoLab and save the event lead from having to consolidate them from multiple sources. By augmenting your event with a virtual CoLab environment, participants can work at their own pace (or time zones!). They also aren't dependent on a physical product, so they can continue to contribute ideas after the event.  Additionally, because all ideas are stored and tracked, CoLab reduces the administrative burden of the Event Lead to manage the ideas afterwards.
2.  Asynchronous: In a completely asynchronous VA/VE workshop, each participant is able to review each of the files in the package to provide their ideas entirely asynchronously through the platform. By removing reliance on synchronous meetings, asynchronous VA/VE allows for a process that captures feedback from experts without the limitations of scheduling, time zones and traditional disengaging meeting setups.

Why Start with Hybrid? 

Hybrid allows teams to bring in more subject matter experts, that were previously unable to participate due to geography, busy schedules, limit on onsite participants, etc. which ultimately equate to greater expertise and more ideas.

Hybrid allows event leads to be more strategic with their event schedule. They can bolster with async to reduce cost/effort  while simultaneously remaining closer to plan by using async in an adhoc manner. 

Hybrid places less burden on event leads without sacrificing quality of program or ability to achieve goals.

The hybrid process allows your team to become familiar with the asynchronous elements of VA/VE in CoLab as a means to increase meeting productivity.  This is why we recommend hosting a kick-off. 

Why Host a Kick-Off? 

In addition to communicating the event charter to the team, hosting a kick-off allows you to communicate the CoLab initiative, familiarize your team with the platform, present the scope of the event, and align on the goals of the event to the participants. 

CoLab opens up the possibility for teams to be thinking more about VA/VE consistently as well as creating greater flexibility in their VA/VE event plan throughout the year.