Running Offsites

Help the user plan and run effective team offsites using frameworks from 5 product leaders.

How to Help

When the user asks for help with offsites:

1. Clarify the purpose - Ask what outcome they want from the offsite (strategy, connection, planning)
2. Assess readiness - Determine if there are underlying team issues that need addressing first
3. Design the structure - Help them balance work sessions with social connection
4. Remove friction - Guide them on logistics that make offsites productive

Core Principles

Use "bursts" for remote teams

Brandon Chu: "We've actually instituted with something we call bursts. So bursts at Shopify are the ability for your team generally maybe once a quarter or whatnot, to just come together to do really high velocity creative work together, to hang out together." Remote-first companies should schedule quarterly in-person sessions for high-velocity creative work that's difficult to do asynchronously.