Building the shared language
for a rapidly evolving team
No guide, glossary, or onboarding documentation existed for new graphics team members at CNN. Knowledge lived informally, terminology varied, and expertise disappeared when people left. I built the system that fixed it
Client
CNN
Services
Team Infrastructure
Department Guide
The CNN Design department runs on a dense vocabulary! Show-specific terms, broadcast abbreviations, workflow language, software shorthand, so much room for miscommunication. None of it was written down anywhere. New team members learned informally, asking whoever was nearby, picking things up over months. Experienced people used terms differently. Show teams and graphics teams sometimes meant different things by the same word. The cost was slow onboarding, miscommunication under deadline, knowledge that existed only in people's heads.
THE GAP
No shared reference material existed
New team members struggled. Terminology was inconsistent. Word of was the only onboarding tool. Nobody had built a fix and we just lived with it. Then 2020 hit and we were no longer sharing a physical space. Creating a database of training material became a crucial need.
TAKING ACTION
Working remote in 2020 unveiled learning gaps.
I identified the gap and started compiling vocabulary, defining abbreviations, documenting show-specific terms and workflow language from memory and observation.
ADOPTION
Distributed to the team — immediately useful
The guide went out to the full graphics department. New hires had a starting point. Experienced team members had a reference. It became part of how the department onboards, and also inspired other teams to build similar material for their groups
NOW
Formally housed, shared ownership, actively updated
The guide has grown beyond what one person can maintain alone. I recently partnered with a colleague to compile and migrate it into a shared OneNote document. We share ownership. It gets updated as the department evolves.
NEXT PROJECT
