35. Why We Have a Washing Line in Our Office

When I returned to our Kingston University office on Monday after a week away on Annual Leave, I was greeted by a washing line.  And no, that’s not the strangest thing we have here – the flying pig still holds that title!

Our Washing Line:  The Purpose

So, why do we have a washing line in the office? It all comes down to DAPPLE. This is a large, three-year project made up of four parts. Some of these parts have smaller sections.  Some parts are already completed, and others still need to be done. It is really important for us as a team to know what has happened, and what still needs to happen. But with so much going on, it can sometimes be hard to 'see' this clearly.

That’s why we needed a washing line. It is not actually used for hanging up our washing (which in some ways is a shame, because I do have a tendency to spill coffee on myself at work.)   Our co-production team is using it as a visual timeline.  It is a bit like a GANTT chart, which is a way to show the schedule of tasks in a project. Now I might be biased, but I think our washing line is a much clearer, and more eye-catching way for us to keep on track with what is going on in The DAPPLE Project.

Here’s what the washing line will help us do:

• See what stage the project is at

• Remember what’s already been done

• Know what still needs to be done

• Understand the DAPPLE project as a whole
  

For our co-production team based in the office, it can sometimes be hard to 'see' what our other DAPPLE colleagues are doing across the rest of the project. But having this timeline displayed can help us to see this bigger picture.

Our Washing Line: The Process

All the work on our washing line came from my DAPPLE colleagues Richard, Sunny, Amanda, Jo, and Irene, who spent a day together in the office bringing it to life. When I asked them about the process, they mentioned it took quite a bit of time! The first step was selecting images that captured the different stages of The DAPPLE Project and choosing the right words to go with them. There were plenty of discussions along the way about how and where to hang the pictures. As Jo put it, it wasn’t a case of just "bish bash bosh"; it was a very thoughtful process.

It's important to say that this isn't a finished washing line – it is an evolving piece of work.  As the DAPPLE Project continues to develop, so will our washing line!

Written by Fred Inglis, Co-production Manager, Kingston University