Challenge: The stiffness of traditional development discussions.
Solution: Topaasia One-to-One.
Result: Deeper dialogue and automatic compliance documentation.
Quanscient is a Finnish startup developing physics simulation software to speed up product development in the semiconductor and technology industries. CEO and co-founder Juha Riippi explains how Topaasia One-to-One changed the quality of their development discussions.
Free-flowing conversation, no forms
At Quanscient, development discussions are held twice a year. According to Juha Riippi, the traditional form-based model, that is goals, tracking them and setting new goals, never felt like their own.
"We didn't want a formal One-to-One. We wanted the person themselves to do more of the talking and tell us about everyday challenges and the direction they want to develop their role in", Riippi describes.
Before adopting Topaasia, the discussions ran on a free agenda. It worked reasonably well, but something was missing.
The game surfaces topics that would otherwise stay hidden
Topaasia One-to-One was adopted during the teams' development discussion round. In practice, the discussion proceeds in two phases: first a compact game session, then a free-form wrap-up conversation.
The change was concrete. Riippi says the framework the game provides brings perspectives and topics into the conversation from outside everyday work. The kind that almost certainly would not come up without it.
"Topaasia has worked really well. It raises topics that would not come up without the framework the game provides."
Compliance documentation is generated automatically
Quanscient is SOC 2 compliant, and ISO 27001 certification is on the way. Both standards require documentation of development discussions. Topaasia solved this challenge too.
The documentation produced by the game and the observations recorded in the discussion meet the requirements as they are, without a separate form-based process. Riippi considers this a significant added benefit: structure and documentation emerge naturally, yet the conversation does not become formulaic.
Adoption: 20 minutes and done
According to Riippi, taking the tool into use was extremely easy. A short onboarding session was enough, and preparing a session takes about five minutes thanks to ready-made templates.
"It works great remotely, and just as well in person. The game leader has a laptop and the participant can use a phone or a laptop as they prefer."
A strong recommendation for higher-quality development discussions
"It's worth trying. Especially if your organisation has held development discussions in a more traditional way, you will be positively surprised at how much higher-quality conversations you can have and how much more meaningful topics can come up in them."
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Thank you Juha and Quanscient!
Juha Riippi LinkedIn
https://quanscient.com/
In the interest of transparency, it should be mentioned that Juha is a member of Topaasia's board and a small investor.