Jimi Manninen works as a technical project manager and software developer at 61N Solutions Oy. He has long experience in the software industry and has used Topaasia actively in different roles since 2018, first as a software designer, then as a manager and team lead, and in his current work supporting project teams' retrospectives and the development of teamwork.
Building a communication culture in software teams
According to Jimi, Topaasia answers a typical challenge in the software industry: the quiet ones easily stay in the background, even though they may have important views and ideas. Communication and the culture of discussion do not develop.
"On the software side, people are often more introverted. When your own thing lands on the game board with the help of Topaasia, a thought gets moving, and soon the whole group is involved in the discussion. It feeds a culture where communication is seen as a value", Jimi says.
One of Jimi's most memorable moments was when a quiet, more junior team member found the courage to bring out their thoughts:
"It sparked a flow of conversation. First their own point, then comments, and in the end everyone was listening. It created team spirit and strengthened psychological safety."
Jimi emphasises that using Topaasia is beneficial during the game session itself, but the benefits extend far beyond the sessions in the form of better communication.
"With Topaasia, even the quieter ones get heard. When your own thought makes it onto the game board as a card, you get the motivation to say it out loud and genuine discussion emerges. It feeds the teams' communication culture and strengthens psychological safety."
A versatile facilitation tool for different situations
In his previous work, Jimi has also used Topaasia in a managerial role in 1-on-1 discussions and in developing processes. He stresses that discussions should not be held merely for their own sake; it is always worth addressing a topic that matters to the team or the person:
Topaasia helps surface things that would otherwise go unspoken, especially when the theme chosen is something anchored in the team's reality. When you have the discussion often enough, the culture sticks. Topaasia teaches you to have conversations.
Topaasia has a ready-made catalogue with over 50 pieces of game content created by different experts. He uses the ready-made decks in Topaasia, but with the service's deck editor he also handily creates his own decks for different discussion needs:
"I like making my own decks in Topaasia. For example, for 1:1 discussions I built decks based on the personnel survey. They lead to honest feedback and genuine insight."
Create a discussion culture that lives on with Topaasia
In software development projects and teams, many of the best insights go unsaid when the quieter team members do not find their place in the discussions, as Jimi described.
With Topaasia, every team member gets their own perspective out easily, including those who otherwise stay in the background. When a thought makes it onto the game board, the discussion gets going almost by itself, strengthening psychological safety and equal interaction. The result is a discussion culture that lives on.
With Topaasia you can:
- Get even the quiet ones heard and valuable ideas out in the open.
- Build a genuinely equal and open team.
- Make retrospectives and development discussions effective and engaging.
-> Try Topaasia yourself
Jimi Manninen 61N Solutions Oy Customer story: Topaasia supporting team retrospectives at Sanoma Customer story: Topaasia supporting strategy work at Vincit