How to spar

Why do we spar?

To get a range of feedback from the whole team. To ultimately make the work better
To keep the rest of the team across everything that is being worked on

How do we build a level of context?

Work needs to be sparred from very early conceptual stage to give the team the context they need to provide useful input.
This is to prevent getting superficial feedback
Don't bring work at 'signoff' stage to sparring unless it has been seen earlier - this is just a waste of time.

Context stages - what to show when

Every stage of a project is important and can benefit from sparring. Here's the sort of things you might be able to bring along for sparring at each stage:

Early conceptual - sketches and descriptions
Prototyping - wireframes / mockups / prototypes
Building - experiments and results
Polish - hi fidelity mockups / screenshots

How to prepare

Get your work together - preferably printed and on the wall.
Update the agenda. Think about:
The back story to this work - how did you get to this point?
What context stage is the work at?
Why are you showing it?
What specific questions do you want answered?
Grab some Post it notes and a sharpy

How to spar - Our sparring manifesto

Come prepared.
We work as a team. Sparring is not a competition or the place for wit or cleverness.
Aim to be positive and supportive. Build rather than deconstruct.
We try to make sure that everybody is on the same page. If you see somebody clearly not understanding, try and help them out or rephrase to help them out.
Anybody can contribute. If you notice somebody not taking part, try to involve them in the discussion.
Feedback is given to help you make your work better - not as an insult. Don't take it personally. All work shown at sparring is open for feedback.
Nobody is going to get mad at you for screwing up. We aim to screw up as fast as possible.
Park things quickly. If it looks like we're stuck we should move on. Anybody can park something if they notice it going on too long.
A different person goes first each time.
Everybody must spar at least once every 2 weeks. If your work does not fit on the Agenda one week, then it goes on the following week. We prioritise work that actively needs input.
Post it notes are used to document the discussion and add other ideas. Attach them to the work as the discussion progresses.
Don't forget to update the sparring page with items related to your work after the sparring.