A step-by-step guide on how to start and host your own internal hackathon event in your software development organization bringing to life your developers brilliant ideas.

1. How to run a successful hackathon in 7 steps
A Development Manager’s Guide

2. Hackathons, also known as hack days, really started to become
popular in the 2000s. Hackathons are an event where Software
Developers, for a defined period of time, work on topics of
interest that may or may not be related to their regular work.
Hackathons can be internal, in which case only companies’
developers participate in the event, or they can be external with a
focus on collaborating with others outside the business.
Hackathons defined

3. How to run a
hackathon in 7 steps

4. Step 1: Pitch your hackathon and win buy-in
The first step is developing a pitch slide deck. While hackathons are very
common in the software industry, there are still organizations that may
be reluctant to give up a day or so of their development team’s time.
Anticipate who might resist the idea and address their concerns in your
pitch. Explain to them why this process is important to the business.

5. Step 2: Build excitement for your hackathon!
While getting buy-in is a crucial step, having excited participants is
probably the second-most important step. If you declare a hack day but
your talented team is not into it, then the event and, obviously your
initiative, fails.

6. Step 3: Build a backlog before your hackathon
You don’t want your team to lose time on the day of the event figuring
out what they want to work on. Create a collaboration space/document
(for example, a wiki page or Slack channel) at least one week before the
event and start collecting ideas. Write your ideas down to get people
excited and also ask developers to contribute and add their own.

7. Step 4: Make your hackathon different and
memorable
You want the day to be different than a normal day at work. This
obviously depends on your context. But, for instance, if your organization
provides free food everyday, well, free food is not special... In many cases,
having a budget for pizza and snacks works and developers appreciate it.

8. Step 5: Book the date and start preparations
Choosing the right date is also crucial and the most important aspect is
making sure people can take time from their regular work. While you
have the approval, as per first step, you need to schedule it for a time
when everyone is not putting in 150% to finish a business changing
release. You will never find the perfect time, but make sure at least it’s not
the worst possible time for everyone.

9. Step 6: Book a hackathon demo meeting
It’s celebration time! Invite senior management and everyone else in the
product team to a Hackathon demo. As a manager, it’s your job to make
sure key people are present and that the team has enough time to pitch
their idea and show off their work.

10. Step 7: Ship it!
While having a day to work on the topic of their choosing is very exciting for
the developers, nothing motivates them as much as seeing their hacks
materialize in the product. Keep in mind that if none of the hacks are
productized, developers may not be as motivated the next time around. If you
have done a good job of assembling the hackathon backlog and facilitating the
ideation sessions, you will definitely end up with some hacks that are worth
the productization effort.

11. Wrapping up the hackathon
As a development manager, one important aspect of your job is keeping
people engaged, inspired and stoked. Hackathons are one of the many
ways you can achieve this goal. Giving developers autonomy and
opportunity to master a new technology and infusing the business with
fresh ideas are well within your grasp if you follow the seven practical
steps described here.

12. Read the full blog: How to run a successful
hackathon in 7 steps
Visit www.klipfolio.com