Product Discovery Ideation Session
As part of Product Discovery, cross-functional product teams should be given the autonomy and freedom to explore the solution space on their own.
As part of Product Discovery, cross-functional product teams should be given the autonomy and freedom to explore the solution space on their own. Their complementary skills and perspectives lead to objectively better and more creative ideas than top-level management can come up with. But in order to harness this creativity, it takes structure. That's why I created this step-by-step ideation session template for teams to use during Product Discovery. I've incorporated proven ideas from my own experience and from others, while providing enough flexibility to make it your own.
For the "context" stage, I recommend frameworks like Impact Mapping, which can quickly bring participants up to speed in terms of recently gathered user insights. Throughout the ideation process, I encourage a "together alone" working mode, giving individuals the freedom to sort their thoughts without the bias and pressure of group thinking.
The session should end with a prioritization of the identified ideas. Here it's important to keep an iterative and experimental mindset for the following steps of your Product Discovery: Think how easy it would be to launch an experiment around this idea and how high your confidence is at the moment in terms of creating the changes in behavior you have prioritized.
This template was created by Tim Herbig.
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SAFe Roam Board
Works best for:
Agile Methodology, Operations, Agile Workflows
A SAFe ROAM Board is a framework for making risks visible. It gives you and your team a shared space to notice and highlight risks, so they don’t get ignored. The ROAM Board helps everyone consider the likelihood and impact of risks, and decide which risks are low priority versus high priority. The underlying principles of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) are: drive cost-effective solutions, apply systems thinking, assume that things will change, build incrementally, base milestones on evaluating working systems, and visualize and limit works in progress.
4Ps Retrospective
The 4Ps Retrospective template offers a structured framework for teams to reflect on past iterations or projects using the 4Ps model (Praise, Problems, Possibilities, and Plans). It provides elements for sharing positive feedback, identifying challenges, exploring opportunities, and setting action plans. This template enables teams to conduct retrospectives systematically, generate actionable insights, and drive continuous improvement. By promoting a balanced and comprehensive approach, the 4Ps Retrospective empowers teams to enhance collaboration, boost morale, and achieve their objectives effectively.
Lean Project Charter
Works best for:
Agile
The Lean Project Charter template provides a streamlined approach to defining project objectives, scope, and success criteria. It emphasizes clarity, brevity, and alignment with Lean principles, enabling teams to kickstart projects with focus and purpose. This template empowers teams to set clear goals, establish shared understanding, and align stakeholders, driving efficiency and effectiveness in project delivery. By promoting transparency and accountability, the Lean Project Charter sets the foundation for successful project execution and continuous improvement.
What? So What? Now What? Template
Works best for:
Agile Workflows, Retrospectives, Brainstorming
The What? So What? Now What? Framework empowers you to uncover gaps in your understanding and learn from others’ perspectives. You can use the What? So What? Now What? Template to guide yourself or a group through a reflection exercise. Begin by thinking of a specific event or situation. During each phase, ask guiding questions to help participants reflect on their thoughts and experience. Working with your team, you can then utilize the template to record your ideas and to guide the experience.
SIPOC Process Map
Works best for:
Agile Metodology
The SIPOC Process Map is a visual tool for documenting the high-level process flow of a system or project. It helps teams identify Suppliers, Inputs, Processes, Outputs, and Customers, facilitating a holistic understanding of the value stream. This template enables teams to visualize key process elements and interdependencies, empowering them to identify areas for improvement and optimize workflow efficiency. By promoting transparency and collaboration, the SIPOC Process Map empowers organizations to deliver value more effectively and satisfy customer needs.
User Story Map Template
Works best for:
Marketing, Desk Research, Mapping
Popularized by Jeff Patton in 2005, the user story mapping technique is an agile way to manage product backlogs. Whether you’re working alone or with a product team, you can leverage user story mapping to plan product releases. User story maps help teams stay focused on the business value and release features that customers care about. The framework helps to get a shared understanding for the cross-functional team of what needs to be done to satisfy customers' needs.