There were many amenities at la Maison Iena. A pool table, several arcades, a rooftop..

The most interesting one was the pool. It was in what used to be the wine cellar. We had seen it but none of us in the storage team had used it. We decided to do something fun. We would do a sprint planning meeting in the pool.

We carried a whiteboard down, hailed the agile coach, changed into bathing clothes and jumped in.

Of course, we got distracted a few times but we planned the next steps and dependencies. We set priorities and reviewed status. Wrote the tasks on the white board and debated. We worked while we were inside a pool.

We concluded the meeting and spent a few more minutes in the pool. Got out, dried up and went back to our laptops.

Once we got back up, I vividly remember the looks of some of the co-workers. I could read in their eyes that they were unhappy. We used the pool during the day. They thought we just had enjoyed ourselves in the middle of the day.

Yes it is unusual to do a work meeting in a pool. It was an interesting way to change the routine. We were moving full speed ahead. We were the team that was the most advanced on the path to production. None of us used many of the amenities. Yet it didn’t matter. Some people judged us.

It was a hardening lesson. No matter what you do. No matter how fast you are moving. People will find something that according to them you are not doing right.

It forged me to care less about what people thought and more about the outcomes.

Nevertheless, it is a happy memory. A memory of doing a meeting in an uncommon way. Of playing the future of the team storage in the pool.

It was for the floppy. 💾

(1) Photo by Quentin Selle

(2) Photo by the launch photographer

If you have missed it, you can read the previous episode here​

To pair with :

• Chasing Faith - The Underachivers
• Slow Bullets by Alastair Reynolds