The Field Guide › Article
A practical management tool for building the consistent, high-cadence, light-touch feedback channels that foster psychological safety. 15/5 reports — originated by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, and apparently inspired by Scrum standup questions — are so named because they should take no more than 15 minutes to write and 5 minutes to read. Chouinard, often out of the office, needed a way to keep a regular information pulse across the organisation without burdening those reporting. The format is a few core questions answered weekly: what are your main achievements this week (opening on a positive, with non-work achievements welcome — in tough times even 'I've made it through so far'); is there anything worrying or concerning you in or outside of work (the critical question — it's fine if the answer is 'nothing', but keep asking, so that when concerns do arise it's clear they are expected and welcome); and others on help needed and what's coming up. Because many people find it easier to communicate in writing — it gives time to think about what to say — 15/5s offer a low-risk, routine vehicle for surfacing issues early, to be followed up in regular 1-1s. A concrete example of designing routine, low-threat disclosure into how a team works.