The client(s)
Large software company, global coffee company, medium consulting company, small nonprofit
Results that matter
Through a set of structured discussion points designed to surface key assumptions and expectations, participants commit their undivided attention to a discussion that builds a clear vision of business success for a project or program team. At the end, we have a comprehensive sketch of the measures of success, capabilities, key personas, user scenarios, and some representative process requirements. After the facilitated discussion, we disappear for a week, analyze what the group came up, apply some additional rigor, and bring back a more mature version for the team. This framework is used to guide higher quality decisions, increase accountability for results, and enhance collaboration among team members.
How we did (and currently do) it
We invite the organization leadership team, initiative leadership team, or the project leadership team to the discussion, depending on the scale and intention of the discussion. In the case of a project team you see business leaders, solution management, business and technical architects, UX leads, and other key engineering leads.
Through a set of structured discussion points designed to surface key assumptions and expectations, participants commit their undivided attention to a discussion that builds a clear vision of business success for a project, program, or organization. No preparation from workshop participants is required. The more prep that happens, the less learning typically happens in the workshop. The intention is to arrive at a common understanding, which inevitably means leaving some passionate beliefs behind and adopting new insights from other participants. It’s best to show up having thought about things a little, but PowerPoint decks and other documents rarely contribute any value to the discussion.
Learn more about the process from our Planning Guide