Collaboration: Modern work principles for high-impact experimentation programs
Experimentation teams have an unsolved problem: Where we work has changed, but how we work has not. See Collaboration principles for distributed teams that emphasize structure and async-first communication.
While our workplaces have gone virtual, many of us are still trying to force-fit our old working methods into Zoom calls and shared documents.
The result?
We wake up early or stay up late for meetings across time zones, squeeze creative sessions between back-to-back calls, and watch great ideas get lost in the shuffle of Slack messages and email threads.
Think about how much time your team spends:
- Looking for that one great idea someone shared in last week's meeting
- Getting everyone together for a brainstorming session across multiple time zones
- Following up on action items that got lost in email threads
- Waiting for feedback from those who couldn't make the meeting
These challenges are exactly why we built Collaboration, Optimizely's purpose-built tool for experimentation and personalization teams. Collaboration transforms how teams work together on digital experiences by providing a structured system designed specifically for the experimentation lifecycle.
Here's how:
| Old way | Optimizely Collaboration |
| Ideas getting lost in emails and Slack | Capture ideas in structured submission forms |
| Chasing stakeholders for approvals | Automated workflows notify the right people |
| Scattered documentation | Everything from ideas to results lives in one searchable place |
| Manual progress tracking | Kanban board shows exactly which experiment is at which stage in development |
| Idea submission forms feel like a black box | Threaded conversations between requesters and reviewers on the idea itself |
Three core principles of effective Collaboration
After working with hundreds of experimentation teams, we've identified three core principles that transform how teams work together:
1. Structure beats improvisation
Instead of relying on freeform meetings, use structured approaches:
- Standardized idea submission forms to capture all the important details upfront
- Clear workflows that move ideas from conception to implementation
- Explicit review and approval steps so you can be confident in the quality of the experiment
- Assigned roles and deadlines to keep the momentum going
Collaboration makes this easy with templatized workflows and structured idea capture, ensuring no valuable insight gets lost between meetings.
Image source: Optimizely
Dan Waldman
Senior Technical Product Manager, Chewy
2. Written beats verbal
"But we've always done brainstorming out loud!" I hear you say.
While verbal discussions have their place, prioritizing written communication leads to better outcomes. Why?
- Ideas get documented as they happen, not lost in meeting notes
- Team members can contribute thoughtfully on their own time
- Everyone has an equal opportunity to share, not just the loudest voices
- Decisions and context are automatically preserved
Collaboration makes this easy giving you the ability to add comments anywhere in the platform and mentioning a user means they receive an in-app notification or a notification delivered via Slack or Teams.
Image source: Optimizely
Ashley Anderson
Conversion Rate Optimization Manager
3. Widespread input beats small-group thinking
The best experiment ideas often come from unexpected places. Instead of limiting ideation to a small team, cast a wider net:
- Share ideas early and often
- Show work in progress to get feedback before it's "perfect"
- Make it easy for anyone to contribute ideas and suggestions
- Create transparent processes so everyone can see what's being worked on
Upload design files from Figma or sketched and whiteboards from Figjam, Miro, or Lucidspark directly into Collaboration to capture ideas.
Image source: Optimizely
To make it even easier to collect feedback or new ideas, use Collaboration’s inline commenting feature lets you collaborate on written content, images, or live websites.
Image source: Optimizely
When you implement these principles through a dedicated Collaboration platform, you'll see immediate improvements in idea management, workflows and knowledge management.
Here’s how:
- Centralized idea repository: Capture and organize all experiment ideas in one place
- Structured submission forms: Ensure all critical information is included from the start
- Idea enrichment: Allow contributors to add insights, data, and context over time
- Customizable approval flows: Route ideas to the right stakeholders automatically
- Status tracking: See exactly where each experiment stands at a glance
- Automated notifications: Keep team members informed of progress without manual follow-up
- Searchable experiment library: Build on past learnings instead of starting from scratch
- Result documentation: Connect outcomes directly to original hypotheses
- Pattern recognition: Identify what types of experiments deliver the most value
Collaboration provides a centralized hub that aligns processes and keeps everyone connected through planning and execution, allowing you to make a bigger impact with less effort. From capturing ideas through customizable request forms to tracking approvals with flexible workflows, the platform ensures nothing gets lost between meetings.
With over 1 million experiments run on the world's largest digital laboratory, Optimizely's Collaboration tool helps you increase velocity, optimize at scale, and make a wider impact across your organization.
Ready to get more out of your experimentation program?
