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Hackathons

Hackathons are how we experiment, learn and solve problems creatively together. They should develop our understanding and create value: most hackathons aim to produce a real improvement to our platforms, services or capabilities, not only an experiment. Anyone can propose one, at any time of year.

Two formats

Minihacks last one day. They need no approval, just a sponsor from the department's leadership, and suit quick experiments, prototypes and testing an idea.

Hackathons last two or three days including preparation, need approval from the department's leadership, and may have a small budget agreed in advance. They suit a proof of concept, a small feature or a toolchain improvement. Periodically the leadership coordinates an all-department hackathon, with several running in parallel.

How it works

  1. Idea. Anyone can have one. For a hackathon, write a short proposal with a single, clear, relevant objective. Proposals are more likely to be approved when they show value to the business and users, align with our strategy, and have a distinct objective.
  2. Approval and sponsor. Minihacks find a sponsor and go. Hackathons are reviewed by leadership; expect feedback. Every hackathon has a leadership sponsor who keeps it aligned with our goals and advocates for it.
  3. Team and coordinator. Define the skills and size needed, recruit, and appoint a coordinator.
  4. Preparation. Agree whether it is in person or virtual, plan any upskilling, discovery or design needed beforehand, and make sure participants can commit fully.
  5. The event. The coordinator keeps the group collaborating and focused on the outcome, and runs a retrospective at the end.
  6. Demos and sharing. Present at lightning talks or the department meeting, publish a write-up of objectives, outcomes and learnings, and go wider where it deserves it.
  7. Recognition and next steps. Celebrate the contribution, the value and the learning, and feed promising ideas into the roadmap.

The coordinator

The coordinator plans and facilitates. They own the pre-event communication and workshops, a plan everyone understands, clear roles, and the retrospective. During the event they make sure every perspective is heard, keep the focus on the objective, handle conflict constructively, and see that decisions, learnings and outcomes are recorded and shared. The best coordinators prepare early, stay neutral, bring quieter voices in, keep progress visible, set time limits and move to action, and celebrate progress even when the final outcome falls short.

What makes a good hackathon

Small teams. Junior colleagues and newcomers to the topic welcomed with clear roles. Tangible, achievable gains rather than the whole vision at once. In person wherever possible, because sustained, focused collaboration almost always works better in a room. And the willingness to adapt or cancel if the plan is not going to succeed.