The Team Health Monitor helps your team assess strengths and weaknesses. Here's how to use it. atlassianteamplaybook.com/health-monitor

1. How healthy is your team?
An intro to the Team Health Montior

2. Rally your crew
Share this presentation with your team to get
buy-in (and get excited!).
Improve your team’s health
Refer to the tips for facilitators as you guide your
team through Health Monitor sessions.
Use this
deck to…
Understand the basics
Get grounded in the key concepts before
introducing the Health Monitor to your team.

3. Ready? Let’s get
started.

4. A brief history of the Health Monitor

5. We were curious
We wanted to understand why some
teams at Atlassian were struggling,
while others were thriving.
The question
The method
The answer
Background
The upshot

6. We did some research
We embarked on an internal study to
find commonalities across our high-
and low-performing teams.
The question
The method
The answer
Background
The upshot

7. We learned a ton
We found 8 attributes common
amongst our best teams, and
developed a way for teams to self-
assess against them. The “Team
Health Monitor” was born!
The question
The method
The answer
Background
The upshot

8. You don’t have to be a manager to use
the Health Monitor. And your team
doesn’t have to be in pain in order to
benefit from it.The question
The method
The answer
Background
The upshot
Team health is everyone’s job

9. Who, when, and why

10. Project/Product
For teams whose work is
largely project-based
Different teams, different Health Monitors
Service
For teams whose work is
largely queue-based
Leadership
For teams of people who run
teams of their own

11. At the start of a
project
When forming a
new team
Any time your team
is in pain!
Any time you’re not
in pain
When to start using the Health Monitor

12. The Health Monitor empowers your team with a
consistent, common language for talking about how
you work together.
Why bother?
Empowering
Democratic
Preventative
Actionable
Common language

13. FOR EXAMPLE, HERE’S HOW WE TALK ABOUT PROJECT TEAMS

14. Health Monitors can be run by anyone,
and everyone’s voice has equal weight.
It’s by teams, for teams.
Empowering
Democratic
Preventative
Actionable
Designed for self-serviceWhy bother?

15. Health Monitor sessions are your
chance to look at how you work now,
look ahead, and avoid problems before
they arise.
Empowering
Democratic
Preventative
Actionable
Prevention is good medicineWhy bother?

16. By the end of your first Health Monitor
session, you’ll have a plan for addressing
any problem areas and a cadence for re-
assessing.
Empowering
Democratic
Preventative
Actionable
Take actionWhy bother?

17. How the Health Monitor works

18. In a nutshell, your
team will…
Self-assess across eight areas
of team health
Have candid discussions
about each area
Agree on how you’ll address
your weak spots
Shared understanding
Full-time owner
Balanced team
Value & metrics
Proof of concept
One-pager
Velocity
Managed dependencies

19. Rules & regulations
1. There are no right or wrong answers
2. Everyone's opinion is equal
3. This is a safe space for open discussion
4.Don’t make it personal, and don’t take it
personally
How it works
Set the stage
Discuss ratings
Run plays
Rate attributes
Make a plan

20. Let your voice be heard!
1. Read the attribute’s definition out loud
2. Ask everyone to rate the team as red,
yellow, or green
How it works
Set the stage
Discuss ratings
Run plays
Rate attributes
Make a plan

21. How it works
Set the stage
Discuss ratings
Run plays
Rate attributes
1. Invite team members to explain
their rating
2. Dig deeper and tease out any
differences between ratings
3. Converge on a consensus rating
and record that on your grid
4.Repeat the “rate” and “discuss”
steps for each attribute
Make a plan
Open ears, minds, and hearts

22. BTW, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE HEALTH MONITOR GRID

23. How it works
Set the stage
Discuss ratings
Make a plan
Run plays
Rate attributes
Agree on focus areas
1. Choose 2-3 yellow or red areas to
focus on improving over the next
month or so.
2. Head to
atlassianteamplaybook.com/plays
3. Look for plays that relate to your
focus areas and can be built into
the way your team works day-to-
day.

24. How it works
Set the stage
Discuss ratings
Make a plan
Run plays
Rate attributes
Now get back to work! ;-)
“Plays” are techniques Atlassian teams have
successfully used to improve the way they
work together.
Remember: plays aren’t supposed to be
extra work – just different ways of
approaching the work you already do.

25. Let’s roll!
Run a Health Monitor
Your first session will take about an hour. Think
of it as an investment – not a tax.
Work better together
Use plays from the Atlassian Team Playbook,
and any other techniques that suit!
Rally your team
Include individual contributors and your
manager, but not outside stakeholders.

26. ATALSSIANTEAMPLAYBOOK.COM

27. Let us know how it goes!
Tweet with hashtag #teamplaybook, or write to us:
teamplaybook@atlassian.com