Execute a Hackathon to Solve L&D Challenges

Have an L&D challenge that you want to develop new and energizing solutions for? Consider hosting a hackathon. These events aren’t just for tech companies. In a hackathon, teams are challenged to develop solutions to a specific business problem or to create a new process or product. Once they have brainstormed what they consider a winning idea, they develop a prototype. A panel of judges then reviews the solutions and chooses a winner, which ideally then moves forward into implementation. In this issue of TD at Work, John Parsell details how to run a hackathon, including the critical steps, guidance, and resources necessary to prepare for and run a 24-hour hackathon. Further, he:

• Offers tips on how to capture the spirit, energy, and creativity of a hackathon
• Shares how to create diverse teams that are equipped to create winning solutions that you can bring to reality
• Presents case studies and examples of noncoding hackathons to demonstrate how others are successfully leveraging this platform

Job aids included in this issue are a sample hackathon kickoff agenda, scorecard template, and communication checklist.

About the Author Engaging people leader, author, speaker, and accomplished Instructional Designer with over 14 years of experience creating effective learning experiences and building innovative learning teams. I believe in the strategic value of learning to drive behavioral change and performance improvement to achieve business goals. I'm a data geek who loves to collect and analyze learning data to make strategic decisions that impact learning program enhancements and long term business strategy. As a Learning Architect at Merck I work as an advisor to the business, collaborating with divisionally aligned Learning Partners and Designers to ensure our learning experiences are aligned with strategic business needs, have clearly defined business measures, and align with the Global Learning & Development Learning Model.