15Five

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

15Five helps me be more accountable for the projects that I'm working on. Its messages and notifications are great for reminding me about tasks that I would forget about otherwise. I used to be in a constant state of overwhelm but 15Five has managed to provide structure to my chaotic schedule as a startup entrepreneur. It helps me see both the long-term goal and the tasks that require immediate updates.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I wish that we could have a shared dashboard as a team. It's helpful in showing me all my pending deliverables and tasks. I'm pretty sure that a shared one will help us distribute tasks more efficiently too.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

The great thing about startups is that we pretty much operate in one room. So if there's anything I need, I can just easily ask my colleagues right away, so I haven't fully explored 15Five's ability to bridge communication gaps yet. What I do find useful is its ability to help me stay on top of my tasks. So far, it's doing a pretty good job of keeping me accountable.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

15Five is surprisingly intuitive--not a common characteristic associated with employee management applications. The developers have done a pretty good job of anticipating the users' needs, and it shows. It's a great tool for boosting work morale as well. Sometimes, I breeze through my tasks without feeling any sense of accomplishment. 15Five's weekly reports validate my work and almost feels like a pat in the back after a productive week. This can be reflected in the yearly reviews as well. I also like how easy it is to plan and sort through my priorities on 15Five. Not to mention, it takes away the stress of having to personally walk up to my boss and give updates or ask for feedback.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

I haven't identified any major issues with the program. However, sometimes I do wish there is a way to manually input the time when a task has been completed. See, I don't always tick-off items on the to-do list until I'm sure that the person next to me on the pipeline has received and acknowledged the deliverable. So if the deadline is Friday, and the person sends acknowledgment receipt on a Monday, that's when I can complete the task. Of course, by this time, the system has flagged the item as late and it becomes permanent on my record.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

15Five has helped us be more transparent in our team. We've been able to finish tasks more efficiently and communicate better thanks to it. We haven't fully made use of the OKR and Goals capabilities, but that's next on our to-do list.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

15Five is a great tool to use in a team setting. My teammates and I use it to keep each other accountable, as well as to report directly to our boss. We use it not just for communication, but for tracking our tasks as well. Not to mention, we get to send kudos (through high fives) to each other--this really keeps the morale high in the team. The weekly task reminders and reflections serve as self-evaluations as well, allowing us to set our own metrics for productivity.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

This is more of a failure on our part, but we haven't completely utilized 15Five to its full capacity yet. For one, we still haven't gone completely paperless.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

The way our team is set up is very divisive and we're simply left to our own tasks and projects. But15Five has allowed us to break barriers and really come together as a team. In particular, giving high fives and receiving them has completely changed our dynamics in the office. As trivial as it sounds, its a lot more fun at work with high fives and kudos exchanged regularly.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

15Five has managed to help me whip my team into shape. For starters, unlike other solutions, it has an intuitive design and we haven't had any problem making the most out of it. Plus, it allows me to engage and provide continuous feedback to my team. It even has a virtual high-five feature, one that lets me acknowledge team members who have shown initiative and efficiency. A particularly impressive feat that this program has managed to help me pull off is the introduction of the OKR methodology to our workflow. It also allows us to review pending projects and assign manpower accordingly.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

So far nothing yet. It's pretty much a straightforward tool.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

Giving employee feedback was always on my to-do list, but it almost always never materialized because of how busy we always were. With 15Five, one-on-ones, peer-to-peer, and self-evaluations are now a priority. Now I can finally take the time to give credit to employees who have shown exceptional work, and allow them to give kudos to each other too. Plus, initiating projects and actually seeing them through are much easier now. We've been able to create systems and goals through the OKR methodology. As a result, it has also helped us identify and address productivity gaps.

Are you a current user of this product?

No

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

With its help, I've been able to consistently meet my deadlines and finish everything on my plate. I also use it to connect with my manager and open up a dialog with him on the platform. We use it to exchange ideas, brainstorm projects, and provide feedback to each other. But more than an avenue for receiving validation or constructive criticism from my boss, 15Five's weekly questions also serve as a self-evaluation for me. Through it, I've been able to identify my strengths and limitations as an employee. Of course, not all the questions are meant to trigger deep reflection. Other times, it's simply for the sheer fun of answering questions and sharing the answers with my teammates. What I'm trying to say is that it works both as a prompt for self-evaluation as well as establishing connections with the team. The "like" and "comment" buttons mimic social media features as well. But I don't always have to share all of my answers--15Five gives me the option to keep my answers private as well. In terms of keeping track of a schedule and to-do list, I love how we can easily update this as we move forward in our tasks. We can follow up on tasks and see what our teammates currently have on their boards. This way, we can distribute the workload evenly among us. There are other features such as "Wins and Challenges" where we can oversee our tasks at any given time too. Overall, 15Five has not only made me more efficient at work, but it has also helped me map my career plan thanks to its "Career Vision" portion.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

Well, the emojis look a bit outdated because they're still in black and white. It would be nice to be able to attach screenshots to my weekly answers as well.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

With our workload, it used to be near impossible to exchange ideas with my boss, but 15Five has helped us make this feat a lot easier. Now, my boss and I can constantly update each other on our projects without needing to sit down for a formal meeting. Not to mention, I haven't missed any of my deadlines ever since using 15Five, too. It manages to break down tasks into manageable chunks so as not to overwhelm me.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes