This session is ideal for people who already have some knowledge and expertise in change, who have a change toolkit and want to add to it, and:

• understand how and why sprints work;

• increase confidence in using their change tools;

• gain confidence in running sprints;

• build a network and connect with like-minded individuals;

• push boundaries, build ideas and innovate.

Sprints are taken and adapted from Scrum, an approach that is often labelled ‘for software developers’ and as ‘agile’. However, the principles that underpin Sprints are effective in many complex environments and we have learned that this tool can be effective in initiatives that need people to work together, focus on what’s important and solve big problems quickly.

We have many stories of successful Sprints in environments as diverse as A&E departments, information governance, large business case development, maternity units and development of multi organisation strategy.

In this session we initially focus on what we mean by Sprint and why they work well in certain environments. We will explore and share experiences, gaining a collective and individual practical understanding of how this tool works so that you have the confidence to use it as soon as you leave the session.

What participants have said about sprints…

"The power of the Sprint strikes again… vital signs monitors in A&E not auto populating [system] since installation three years ago!! Nurses were having to manually input into [system]. Started a Sprint on Monday, fixed by yesterday afternoon [wednesday] !!!! "

"... the team have completed six months work in three… "

"All things are possible however big and insurmountable they appear! – sprint team review report "

The Session:

Open space – We move away from a traditional top down lecture session to a more informal exchange of information and ideas to create an energising and freewheeling exchange

Driven by participants – We know that the sum of the expertise of the people in the room will be greater than the sum of the experience of those at the front. The session therefore redefines who is an expert, and empowers people to share their expertise

Responsive, engaging and interactive – effective learning comes from doing and collaborating with people in a safe environment. Our approach is to use a framework that helps participants to explore tools in a collaborative and respectful manner.