How to Work in the Open

At Cadence OneFive, we believe in working openly and transparently whenever possible. Working in the open means making our work, processes, learnings, and oftentimes even our challenges visible to others. It also means actively participating in discussions, both work-related and social. This allows us to build trust, gather feedback, collaborate more effectively, and strengthen our connections as a team.

Benefits of working in the open include:

  • Encourages transparency and accountability
  • Facilitates knowledge sharing across the organization
  • Gathers diverse input to improve ideas and catch issues early
  • Builds trust by providing visibility
  • Makes collaboration easier and more inclusive
  • Fosters a sense of community and belonging

Guidelines for Working in the Open

  1. Default to open: Share work and ideas publicly within the company from the start, unless there is a compelling reason not to. Make private the exception. Defaulting to open looks like:
    • Narrating your work: Provide regular updates on what you are working on, key decisions made, lessons learned, and next steps. Use team channels, recorded demos and updates, comments in tickets, etc.
    • Asking for feedback early and often: Share work-in-progress and prototypes to get input. Be clear on the type of feedback you are looking for. Incorporate diverse perspectives.
    • Making things easy to find: Save work in shared drives, not in your personal files. Use descriptive titles, READMEs, tags, and other conventions so others can discover and engage with work that is relevant to them.

  2. Reward others’ openness with the gift of feedback: Default to commenting rather than staying silent. Engage with others’ work by providing feedback, asking questions, and offering support. Share your thoughts and experiences.

  3. Contribute to social connection: Participate in casual, off-topic discussions in appropriate channels. Share personal updates, interesting articles, or funny memes. These interactions help build relationships and psychological safety.

  4. Be inclusive: Ensure your open practices allow people in all roles and locations to participate equitably. Provide context and be available to discuss asynchronously.

While working openly can feel uncomfortable at first, defaulting to transparency and proactively communicating are key skills for horizontal culture. As with any habit, the more you do it, the more you’ll find it comfortable!

Reminder about confidentiality: Be mindful of not sharing sensitive personal info, unannounced business deals, security details, etc. Follow policies on what can be shared. Check with stakeholders if unsure.