Creative planning
Scenario
In a medium-sized tech company, a team has build an app. I was invited to facilitate their opening on-site.
Problem
Everyone knows each other but hasn’t built an app together before; the team needs to gain clarity about the problem they’re trying to solve, and to establish a creative working relationship.
Desired outcomes
The team feels excited, focused, and understands the problem they’re trying to solve. They also leave knowing which areas to focus on in their next meeting.
Core elements of dignity
Acknowledgment; inclusion; independence; understanding; benefit of the doubt.
Why this worked
The team were given a framework through which to view their work, and some creative directions on which to begin.

How I tackled this:
Pre-read
I worked with senior leadership to create a one-page pre-read containing answers to these key questions:

  • What is the problem we are trying to solve?
  • What is our timeline?
  • What research do we already have about this problem (summarized with links)?
  • Who is on the team?
Arrival
The room is set with a large table that everyone sits around. Everyone has notepads, pens, sticky notes at their seats. There’s a huge dry erase board on the wall, a screen I can plug my laptop into, and a pad of giant sticky notes on an easel.

Before anyone arrives, I start some upbeat music playing quietly through the screen and place a jigsaw puzzle on a side table with a few small areas already completed, to occupy new arrivals and get them collaborating immediately, as well as something to do together during breaks.

9.45am
10 mins
Setting the stage
The team leader briefly sets the stage for the project and clarifies the purpose of the meeting (which we have discussed and confirmed beforehand.)
9.55am
5 mins
Icebreaker - Worst App Ever
Put three minutes on a visual timer and ask everyone to spend that time coming up with the worst version of their app they can think of. What are its features? Why is it so bad for the users?

Then ask each person to share the worst two features from their app. Bonus points awarded for the most terrible/dangerous/disastrous ideas.
10am
10 mins

Dig into the problem with subject-matter experts
  1. Four invited experts (internal and external), with different angles on the problem we’re facing, answer some basic questions from the group in a panel setting. I prepare starter questions to get the conversation going. (20 mins)
  2. Split into new pairs, each expert is sent to talk with one pair with a particular topic to discuss (monetization, user behavior, user needs, competition). After ten minutes, the pair stays the same, and the expert move in a clockwise direction while the topics move in a counter-clockwise direction. Each pair is asked to take notes about what they learn. (40 mins)
  3. Report back on what people learned. I call out the topics in turn, and ask each pair in turn to share anything that stood out to them from what they learned. I have a giant post-it already in place with each of the topics, and add in brief note form the major learnings for each. (15 mins)
10.10am
75 mins
Break
During which I photograph the giant post-it notes.
11.25am
10 mins
Jobs to Be Done
  1. Using clear slides that I share afterwards, I introduce the Jobs to Be Done framework on approaching problems with practical examples, answering any questions or confusion. (10 mins)
  2. Solo writing exercise on jobs to be done for our user by the completed app with the following prompt, imagining they are the hypothetical user: “I opened the app because I want to… while using it, I want to feel… and afterwards I will do… and feel….” (5 mins)
  3. Group sharing with everyone, writing the responses on the dry erase board in four columns, one for each part of the prompt. (10 mins)
11.35am
25 mins
Design exercise
  1. Divide everyone into a new pairing and give each a reason why the user opened the app from the previous exercise. Then ask everyone individually to imagine that they were making an app only dedicated to that job and nothing else. Write down at least five things that could be in the app. (8 mins)
  2. Add two more things to your list that would be so surprising/weird that they would make the user laugh with surprise. Offer a prize to the funniest/silliest/weirdest suggestion. (2 mins)
  3. Mark the three most important things that they wrote down, that should definitely be in the app. (2 mins)
  4. In their pairs, create a combined list of three essential items, plus choose one of the silly/weird/funny options. (3 mins)
  5. Together sketch the opening screen and at least one other screen of the app, assuming the user has used it before and is signed in. They must integrate at least the three essentials and one weird thing. (20 mins)
  6. Show and tell for each group followed by feedback. Each group's sketches are photographed for later reference. Encourage feedback in the “I liked.. It made me think about.. I wish… “ format. (30 mins)
  7. Have a quick raise-hand vote on the weirdest idea. The winner gets to keep the jigsaw that’s on the side table. Hand them the jigsaw box. (1 min)
12pm
80 mins (during which lunch is served in the room)
Anonymous online response form
  1. Ask everyone to pull out their phones to use the QR code that leads to an anonymous form asking the following questions:
  • How do you feel about the team? (five-point Likert scale)
  • How do you feel about the project? (five-point Likert scale)
  • What has been the most useful part of today for you? (free text)
  • What big questions do you still have? (free text)
1.20pm
10 mins
Where we’re at now
Put the questions up and discuss them in turn. Make clear nobody needs to share who asked it, unless they would like to volunteer their name.

Review the Likert scores with everyone, invite discussion if the score is low, create a list on the dry erase board of areas to address at the next meeting (encourage the next meeting to start with this list, and have dot voting on which are the highest priorities.)

If the score is high, however, use that as a positive closing note.
1.30pm
25 mins
Closing remarks
The team leader closes the gathering with positivity and excitement for the work ahead.
1.55pm
5 mins