A Detailed and Easy-to-Understand Guide to Mattermost Playbooks for Beginners

Hello! Are you exploring Mattermost Playbooks and how to apply it for workflow management? Don't worry, this is a powerful yet easy-to-understand tool once you grasp the basic principles.

Playbooks help you transform repetitive processes or activities requiring quick responses into standardized "scripts" that are easy to monitor and execute. Let's explore together!

I. WHAT ARE PLAYBOOKS?

Mattermost Playbooks (or Workflow Playbooks) is a Mattermost feature designed to standardize, automate, and track work processes. It helps you organize work steps into a clear task list, ensuring everyone executes correctly without missing anything.

Think of Playbooks as a "smart checklist" for your activities.

Key Components of a Playbook:

Playbook Template: This is your "blueprint" or "standard process." You create the Template once, and it contains all tasks, instructions, and default settings for a specific type of activity. Examples: "New Employee Training Template," "Customer Issue Resolution Template."

Playbook Run: Each time you need to execute a process from a Template, you "run" a new instance of that Template. Each "Run" is an actual activity with its own channel, task list, and independent progress status. Examples: "Training Run: John Smith," "Issue Resolution Run: Server Error 123."

Tasks: These are specific steps that need to be completed in a Playbook. These tasks are organized in a list and can be checked off when completed. You can add descriptions, assign executors, and even set due dates (depending on your Mattermost version).

Owner: The person primarily responsible for operating, monitoring, and managing a specific Playbook Run. Usually the manager or the person who initiated the Run.

Participants: People added to a Playbook Run. They can interact with tasks, view progress, and participate in discussions within that Run's channel.

Important: All participants have the right to view and check tasks when they complete them, not just the Owner. This is the key point for Playbooks to work effectively for individual or group tracking.

II. HOW PLAYBOOKS WORK AND APPLICATIONS

The basic principle is: You design the process once (Template), then reuse it multiple times (Runs).

1. Design Process (Create Template): Define steps, tasks, who should do what, and necessary instructions.
2. Run Process (Create Run): When a situation requiring that process occurs, you initiate a new "Run" from the Template. A separate chat channel will be created for this "Run" where everyone can work and discuss.
3. Execute and Monitor: Members in the "Run" will perform listed tasks and check them off when completed. Owner and Participants can monitor overall progress and update status.

Important Applications:

For INDIVIDUAL progress tracking (1-1): You should create ONE PLAYBOOK RUN for EACH INDIVIDUAL. Example: Each new employee has a separate Playbook Run to track their training progress.

For GROUP/TEAM progress tracking: You can create ONE PLAYBOOK RUN for THE ENTIRE TEAM. Example: A Playbook Run to manage a Marketing project where team members work together on shared tasks.

III. GUIDE TO SETTING UP A BASIC PLAYBOOK

Steps to create and run a Playbook in Mattermost:

Step 1: Access Playbooks

• On the Mattermost sidebar, find the Playbooks icon (usually a checklist or circular arrow icon).
• Click to open the Playbooks interface.

Step 2: Create New Playbook Template

• In the Playbooks interface, select the "Playbook Templates" tab.
• Click "Create Playbook" or "New Template" button.
• Name the Template: Clear name describing the purpose (e.g., "New Employee Training Process").
• Add description: Explain what this Template is used for.

Step 3: Define Tasks and Checklists

This is the most important part. List detailed work steps.

• You can create large "Checklists" (like "Phase 1: General Introduction") and within each Checklist are smaller "Tasks."

For each Task:

• Task name: Brief and clear (e.g., "Read company introduction document").
• Description/Instructions: Provide detailed information or links to related documents.
• Assign executor (Assignee - optional): You can assign tasks to specific people. If not assigned, anyone in the Run can check it off.
• Due Date (Enterprise feature): If available, set completion deadline.

Step 4: Channel and Participant Settings (optional)

In Template settings, you can:

• Set default channel: Choose channel type (public, private) and channel name to be created when Run starts.
• Add default participants: These people will automatically be added to each Run from this Template.
• Configure automatic steps: E.g., send welcome message when Run starts.

Step 5: Run Playbook (Create Playbook Run)

• After Template is ready, you can start a new "Run."
• In Playbooks interface, select "Runs" tab.
• Click "Start a Playbook" button or choose your desired Template from the list and click "Start Run."
• Name the Run: Specific name for this instance (e.g., "Employee Training: Jane Doe, August 2023").
• Choose Owner and add Participants: Identify the main responsible person and others who will participate in this Run.

When Run is created, a separate chat channel will appear in the Mattermost sidebar for participants.

Step 6: Execute and Monitor

• Enter the Playbook Run channel. You'll see the task list.
• When completing a task, simply check the box next to it.
• Owner can use "Post update" button to send general progress updates for the entire Run.

IV. 3 PRACTICAL APPLICATION EXAMPLES

To help you visualize, here are three examples of how Mattermost Playbooks can be applied in different departments:

Example 1: New Employee Training Flow (Department: HR / All Departments)

Situation: Each time a new employee joins, there's a series of steps needed for them to integrate and start working effectively (company introduction, tool guidance, professional documentation...).

How Playbooks helps: Ensures no steps are missed, standardizes training experience for all employees, and helps managers track each individual's progress.

Setup: Create Template: "New Employee Training Process"

Main steps in Playbook (Example):

• Checklist: General Introduction
  • Read Employee Handbook and company policies
  • Complete personal information form
  • Watch company culture introduction video
  • Meet with Department Head/Direct Manager
• Checklist: Tool Guidance
  • Install Mattermost and other work tools
  • Join team and project chat channels
  • Internal email system guidance
• Checklist: Initial Professional Training
  • Read department workflow documentation
  • Attend current project introduction meeting
  • Complete first practice task

Application: Each time there's a new employee, you "run" a new Playbook from this Template, named "Training: [New employee name]". Only add the new employee and their manager to this Run. The new employee will check off tasks when completed, and the manager can monitor progress.

Example 2: Marketing Activity: New Product Launch (Department: Marketing)

Situation: Launching a new product requires close coordination between many team members and other departments (design, product development, communications...). There are many tasks that need to be done in proper sequence and timeline.

How Playbooks helps: Organizes the entire campaign into clear phases, assigns responsibilities, and ensures everything happens according to plan.

Setup: Create Template: "New Product Launch Campaign"

Main steps in Playbook (Example):

• Checklist: Preparation Phase
  • Complete Product documentation (Marketing Team)
  • Design banners and advertising images (Design Team)
  • Prepare PR content and press releases (PR Team)
  • Plan advertising budget (Marketing Lead)
• Checklist: Launch Phase
  • Post press releases on website and media channels (PR Team)
  • Activate advertising campaigns on platforms (Ads Team)
  • Send notification emails to existing customers (CRM Team)
• Checklist: Post-Launch Phase
  • Monitor ad performance and optimize (Marketing Team)
  • Collect customer feedback (CS Team)
  • Campaign summary report (Marketing Lead)

Application: When about to have a new product, you "run" a new Playbook from this Template, named "Launch [Product name]". Add all relevant members from various teams to this Run. Tasks can be specifically assigned to each person or team, and everyone monitors overall progress.

Example 3: Production Activity Flow: Production Line Issue Resolution (Department: Production / Engineering)

Situation: When an incident occurs on the production line (machine breakdown, system error...), there needs to be a clear emergency procedure to quickly resolve, minimize damage and ensure safety.

How Playbooks helps: Provides a quick response script, helping the team know exactly what to do step by step, coordinate effectively and record the resolution process for learning.

Setup: Create Template: "Production Line Issue Resolution Process"

Main steps in Playbook (Example):

• Checklist: Initial Assessment Phase
  • Receive incident notification (Shift Supervisor)
  • Identify location and severity of incident
  • Shut down/Isolate affected equipment for safety
  • Notify Production Manager and Technical Team
• Checklist: Resolution Phase
  • Diagnose incident cause (Technician)
  • Proceed with repair/replacement (Technician)
  • Recheck operation after repair
  • Update status to Production Manager
• Checklist: Reporting & Improvement Phase
  • Record incident details and resolution steps in system
  • Propose solutions to prevent recurrence
  • Organize lessons learned meeting (if needed)

Application: When an incident occurs, the shift supervisor or manager will immediately "run" a new Playbook, named "Production Line Incident: [Brief error description] - [Date]". All relevant teams (technical, operations, management) will be added to this Run. Each step is checked when completed, helping everyone understand resolution progress and coordinate smoothly.

SUMMARY AND ADVICE

Mattermost Playbooks is a powerful tool to turn chaos into order. It helps you:

• Save time and effort by standardizing processes
• Minimize errors with clear steps
• Improve transparency about work progress
• Enhance coordination between members and departments

Advice for beginners:

1. Start with small processes: Don't try to build an overly complex Playbook from the start. Choose a simple process you frequently do to experiment.
2. Experiment and adjust: Playbooks allows you to easily edit Templates. Experiment, gather team feedback and adjust to best fit your needs.
3. Utilize recording features: Playbooks automatically records event history in a Run, helping you easily review who did what, when.

Good luck applying Mattermost Playbooks to optimize your workflow!