Ever wonder what went on behind the scenes to have current “whys and hows” of the project when you are onboarding a new team? A reflection journal lets you do just that. I first experienced its value when I joined the Volkswagen Identity Kit team in 2022. Reading through the journal started in 2017, I uncovered the thoughts and decisions that shaped the project’s journey. It was like peeling back a hidden layer of the process, and everything finally made sense.
But we do design documentation, isn’t that a reflection?
Design documentation captures decisions and the rationale behind them, but it’s often more focused on the what and the how.
A reflection journal, on the other hand, digs deeper into the why—the thought process, struggles, and evolving ideas that don’t always make it into formal documents. It’s about understanding the journey, not just the outcome or milestones achieved.
++ Bonus advantage: It improves the collaboration between the team as now you are vibing on “thoughts”.
Here’s an example reflection:
Scenario: Team Firebolt is reflecting on their process weekly.
Date:08.01.2025
Contributor: Mario
Week 1: Defining Job to be done Alexis, Andreas and I pulled a whiteboard and this time instead of thinking of Julia (our end user) in general, we decided to use the "Job to be done" method which has the advantage of focusing on the situation in which needs, wants and obstacles appear.
Go-to market strategy As Jens keep repeating, our goal is to lower the barrier to entry for everyone. Teams should have easy time integrating our API. To stay flexible for all apps we service, we want to support the traditional email/password authentication -- leaving it up to apps to upgrade to the most seamless UX flow when they feel their user base is ready. We could provide a way for them to do a slow roll out whereby their users could opt into it., ...
Date:09.01.2025
Contributor: Alexis and Jens
Week 2: Some thoughts on strategy Lot happened at lab this week. We got wind of important strategic changes. ON other hand two of our tasks which were going to roll out got paused. This is due to approval processes which are slower than our product development cycles.
Getting taction At the end of the day all the nice ideas........ You get the idea now, right?
Doesn’t it feel like you’re travelling back in time, diving into the behind-the-scenes moments of the project? —those parts we often miss in our neatly organized design notes and documentation.
How to Start a Team Journal
I try to kickstart side journal with other design/project documentation in all my projects, here’s how we do it:
Choose a Platform: Decide where your team will document its reflections. It could be a shared Google Doc, a private Slack channel, or a dedicated Notion page—whatever works best for your team’s workflow.
Make It Routine: Encourage your team to write in the journal regularly—whether it’s at the end of each day or week, after a key meeting, or after hitting a milestone. Consistency is key. Even short notes can make a big difference over time. (We prefer weekly + after key meetings)
Encourage Everyone to Contribute: Make the journal a collaborative effort. In our team, we do this by having the person leading a task enter that week’s journal, ensuring every voice is heard and the insights are diverse. (I also prefer making daily notes for my tasks, making it easier to add reflection.)
Keep It Honest and Open: The power of a team journal lies in its authenticity. Don’t shy away from documenting struggles, uncertainties, or moments of doubt. These are often the most valuable entries to revisit.
Review and Reflect: Set aside time periodically (e.g., monthly or quarterly) to review the journal as a team. Discuss what you’ve learned, what’s changed, and what insights can be applied in future. We love to use it in our retro sessions as a reference document.
Whether you’re just starting or already deep into a project, the insights you gain from reflecting on the product journey are invaluable.
So, why not give it a try and see how it changes the way you work? You might just discover a whole new layer to your process.
Until next time,
— Sakshi