Olaph

Olaph was a transformative Slack bot designed to revolutionize daily stand-ups for teams.

  • 2018 — 2019

  • Product Lead

  • kreait GmbH

Summary

Olaph was a Slack bot created to streamline and facilitate daily stand-up meetings for teams, particularly those working in agile, remote, or asynchronous environments. Its core functionality allowed teams to hold stand-ups directly in their Slack channels or use the bot to prepare for face-to-face meetings, ensuring everyone is aligned and informed.

Key Features

Seamless Slack Integration

Olaph integrates effortlessly with Slack, eliminating the need for additional web interfaces. As the Product Lead, I ensured that the setup was user-friendly: teams simply add the Olaph app to their workspace, select a Slack channel, set the time, and define the questions. Olaph handles the rest, reminding team members to participate and automatically posting their responses.

Strong Emphasis on Data Privacy

Respecting user privacy was a top priority. Olaph was built with a strict no data mining policy, ensuring that all interactions and data within the stand-ups remained confidential and secure.

Daily Stand-Ups

Teams can use Olaph to conduct their daily stand-up meetings directly in Slack. This helps maintain a regular communication rhythm without needing to switch between different tools.

Perfect for Agile Teams

I designed Olaph to cater to agile teams that value regular communication and quick feedback cycles. It supports both remote and asynchronous teams, making it versatile and adaptable to various working styles.

Responsive and Iterative Development

Under my leadership, the development team was highly responsive to user feedback and open to feature requests. This commitment to continuous improvement helped Olaph evolve according to the needs of its users.

Early Adopter Friendly Price Structure

One of Olaph’s standout features was its initial cost – it was completely free to use in the beginning. There were no limits on the number of users, questions, or workspaces, making it accessible to teams of all sizes. There were plans about a pricing model.

Usage Scenarios

Preparation for Face-to-Face Meetings

Even for teams that prefer face-to-face stand-ups, Olaph can serve as a preparatory tool. Team members can submit their updates in advance, allowing for more focused and efficient in-person meetings.

Easy to Get Started

  1. Add Olaph to Slack: Visit Olaph's website and add the app to your Slack workspace.

  2. Setup a Stand-Up: Choose a Slack channel, set the time for the stand-up, and define the questions you want to ask.

  3. Engage Your Team: Olaph will remind your team members to participate and post their responses, fostering regular and structured communication.

Impact

Leading the development and launch of Olaph was a significant achievement in my career. It demonstrated my ability to identify a market need, conceptualize a solution, and guide a product through to successful implementation, reaching way over 1000+ agile teams across the globe.