In Tech Fleet, an observer is someone who attends project meetings to observe, witness, or watch what is happening.  You may be invited to participate in meeting activities or ask questions, but it is also fine to quietly watch and learn.

What are the benefits to being an Observer?

• Gaining an understanding of Agile UX methods.
• Watching cross-functional teamwork across research, design, product management, and development.
• Understanding the roles of leads and apprentices.
• Spending less time and energy than if you were an apprentice.
• Gaining name recognition, if you attend meetings regularly. (So if I project needs to suddenly fill a role, you could be called on!)

How often should I come to meetings?

As often as you’d like.  You may want to observe a single project from start to finish, or you may want to hop around from project to project, or from team to team.

If you want to get involved in the project, it’s best to attend as many meetings as possible, so that you have context. You can also look in the project’s Slack channels and Notion page to get a better understanding.

Will it be weird if I just show up in a meeting?

No.  All teams expect that observers will show up, unannounced, at any time.  Depending on what is happening in the meeting, they may welcome you or ask you a question, so be prepared to turn your microphone on to answer.  But you also might just slip into the meeting quietly while the team is working, and that is normal, too.  Just make sure to turn your mic off when you’re not speaking.

Where can I find the meetings?

Look on the Tech Fleet Google Calendar where you will find all of the meetings that are open to observers.  The beginning of the event name will tell you what project the meeting is for, and the end of the event name will tell you the team that is meeting or the purpose of the meeting.

The meeting event will include a link to a video call.  If you see a Vowel, Zoom, or other video call platform link, that will be your link to the call.  If you don’t see a non-Meet call link, then the meeting will be on Google Meet.

What is the proper etiquette for observing in a meeting?

This is a tricky one to answer, because it varies by meeting.  The more you observe, the more you will gain a sense of how best to participate in meetings.  In general, you want to make sure that you are giving more to the project than you are taking.

So, if you want to ask a question or share an idea, you might ask yourself whether speaking up could be good for the project or team.  It doesn’t need to be an amazing idea to be shared, so don’t be shy!  Your voice is most definitely welcomed.

However, if it doesn’t seem like a good time to speak up during the meeting (meeting agendas are often quite busy) you can also wait and post in the project’s Slack channels after the meeting.

Is “observer” the same as “shadower”?