NCW32 | Are sprints useful?

After a month of heavily exploring various AI tools, one thing is clear.

Welcome to Issue #32 of Notion Creators Weekly, where I share ~ 1 Big Idea & 3 Updates to help you work with more focus and intention. And thank you all for bringing us past 2,900 subscribers!

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Summary

1. I’ve been obsessing sprints, and wrote about when and why you may want to use them ✍🏼

2. Webinar Recap: Business Goals in Notion | Watch the replay

3. I’m building a new Notion solution for teams | Method OS

4. Change how you show database properties | via Carina Brasil de Cuhna

5. A Special Illustration Set from Mary Amato | This illustration set is 🤌🏼

Note: we may earn commission from links in these emails, they help support our work. :)

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What are sprints and how are they useful beyond engineering teams?

For many product and engineering teams, sprints are second nature. But what about teams outside of product? Are sprints worth exploring as a way to make progress across multiple work streams?

The Agile Sprint, a concept derived from project management methodologies, can be a powerful level-up for any team, as long as some tweaks are made to the standard agile sprint system.

A study from Broadcom – although focused on engineering teams – shows there are clear benefits to applying agile methods. A few key data points from the study:

• Agile teams are 60% more productive than teams that do not use agile sprints.

• Agile teams are 20% more likely to meet their deadlines.

• Agile teams are 15% more likely to deliver high-quality products.

From The Impact of Agile. Quantified

Whether you're managing a product development team, or coordinating marketing initiatives, sprints offer a structured approach to breaking down complex projects into manageable tasks. They enable focus, foster swift progress, and instill an iterative mindset across your organization.

However, the transition to sprints can come with their own set of challenges. It requires early inclusion of stakeholders, cross-departmental feedback, and dedicated sprint champions within each team. Let’s break down how your team can leverage them to maximize productivity and track progress efficiently.

Understanding Sprints

At its core, a sprint is a short, time-boxed period during which a specific set of tasks are completed. Originally part of Agile and Scrum methodologies, sprints have transcended the realm of software development and are now widely adopted across various industries.

Sprints consist of four key components:

1. sprint planning

2. daily stand-ups

3. sprint reviews

4. sprint retrospectives

Throughout the sprint, team members collaborate to complete the tasks, review their work, and plan for the next iteration.

Importantly, sprints are not just for tech teams. They provide a structured way to tackle significant questions, test new business ideas, or solve critical challenges in a short span of time[5]. Whether you're in marketing, sales, or operations, sprints can revolutionize the way your team works.

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🧑‍🏫 Webinar Recap | Business Goals in Notion

Thanks for everyone who attended Business Goals in Notion! If you couldn’t make it, I’ve uploaded the replay, and am working on a condensed walkthrough of how to set up goals, objectives, and key results using only one database.

There’s also a free template in the YouTube description if you just want to explore the template.

Watch the Replay

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🧑‍🏫 Manifest »» Method

I’m Building A Training-Focused Notion System for Teams

Having built over 30 workspaces for a wide variety of teams, there have been a lot of common threads in terms of challenges with getting up and running using Notion. But templates can only go so far.

Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing more about two training-focused templates, containing in-depth walkthroughs every step of the way, ensuring users are empowered to customize their workspaces, and not be limited by the constraints of templates.

Method OS is tailor-made for teams, including databases, dashboards, and templates to ensure teams can focus on the deep work that matters most.

Sign up to get notified when Method OS launches

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🤔 Did you know?

Shout out to Carina Brasil de Cuhna for pointing this out!

Did you know you can display your relation properties as page sections? Here’s how! 👇🏼

Check out the original Tweet

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📣 Community Shoutout

Notioly Illustrations from Mary Amato

If you love customizing your Notion workspace with the token Notion illustration feel, the Notioloy illustration pack from Mary Amato is packed with beautiful illustrations!

Notioly is a collection of over 200 Notion-style illustrations from Mary Amato. The diverse set of illustrations is fully customizable in SVG and updated monthly with new designs. They match perfectly with the general Notion aesthetic, and I’ve personally used them in Notion-related blog posts and other content. 🙂

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🙌🏼 That’s it for this week!

I’d love to hear what you think. What content resonates? What do you want to see more or less of? Just hit reply to let me know!

And if you’re loving Notion Creators Weekly, I’d love it if you helped spread the word! 😀

Until next time,
Dave