<aside> 🌱 Below you can find some common and not-so-common questions and thoughts Togglers had about RAFT until now. We hope the answers help you understand RAFT better and help you use it in the best possible way to boost your productivity and achieve a superb work-life balance.

</aside>

Q: How does RAFT align with Ownership and Freedom in practice?

A: RAFT is all about Ownership and Freedom. RAFT gives us the power to take control of all of our time. As long as we are delivering results that are expected from us, we are free to follow any schedule that we want to create for ourselves.

In order to deliver results, we need to take Ownership of our work by being proactive, taking responsibility for our actions and decisions, always following through and making sure we are delivering quality results by agreed deadlines.

Q: How do I deal with occasional feelings of guilt when I take time for “life”?

A: In RAFT, we don’t measure time but results/output. This is what RAFT is all about. If you cannot focus and your mind is on private stuff that needs tending, it’s better to take a break from work and came back to it once you are more focused and productive.

Another thing that helps is having your responsibilities and workload clearly defined and planned out. This is a great way to make sure you are delivering everything that is needed and when is needed. If you delivered all your objectives and no one is blocked by waiting for your input, there is no reason not to take a time off for “life” or rest. The only time when feeling guilty might make sense is if you are taking time off and by doing that breaking the deadline or blocking someone else in their work.

Q: Should managers/team members be told of your RAFT schedule?

A: Each team should decide what works best for them, and decide on that as a team. But there is no rule to it. Generally in a RAFT there is no need to share your personal schedule. You are trusted to do your work, and that’s the only thing that is important. Results will speak for themselves.

Q**: In theory RAFT is nice, but in reality, I don’t feel my schedule allows me to do RAFT.**

A: The issue here could be three things: 1 - Your workload isn’t clear or/and reasonable. In that case talk to your Lead and make sure you get to a doable amount or work tasks. 2 - Your planning sucks (sorry, (wo)man). Key is to have your tasks well planned ahead of time so you can make sure your working hours are aligned with your needs. 3 - Others don’t plan well and ambush you with ‘emergencies’ and last-minute tasks. Remind them of how RAFT works and what the role of accountability in it is. Also, share with them how it affects you and your way of working. If the collaboration doesn’t improve, consult your Lead or Dajana.

Q: How will I, as a manager, know if the tasks are really being worked on?

A: First of all: How do you know now? 😳 In a RAFT, you know work is getting done because everyone is crystal clear about measurable goals and expectations, including a system of check-ins (e.g., progress reports, weekly team meeting or a simple ping every Thursday, etc.) It’s up to the Team Member to alert their Lead if a deadline is at risk (aka. accountability), or if other team challenges are compromising the attainment of results. If people don’t deliver what was agreed upon, then you’ve got a performance issue on your hands.

Q: Are there any (recruitment) advantages for RAFT organizations?