Look Before You Leap
Need help focusing on a wide range of requirements for a project? Or, are you questioning biases or assumptions being made by you or your team? This activity is a structured approach that helps unpack risky assumptions. Your team will be given the ability to speak about their concerns openly, and discuss what action is needed going forward
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30 - 60 minutes -
Any number -
- Flip-chart paper
- Post-it notes
- Source: Adapted from Assumptions Mapping, David J Bland, Precoil
What to do
- Make a list of assumptions by answering some of the questions below. Write them individually on a post-it (you can have more than one answer per question):
- Who are we designing this solution for?
- What is the problem we are trying to solve?
- Why can’t patients/providers solve this problem today?
- What are the challenges getting a solution in place?
- What are the internal hurdles?
- How is leadership supporting this issue?
- How are we uniquely positioned to solve this issue?
- How are we measuring success?
- How will the solution be sustained over time?
- Create a 2X2 grid (like the one seen below) on a flipchart. Plot your answers/assumptions into the quadrant that you/your team feel represents it best. The level of priority (y-axis) is based on how important or urgent each assumption is. The level of certainty (x-axis) is based on how familiar you/your team know about the issue at hand.
- Once your assumptions are plotted, consider the following action steps below:
- Plan: These assumptions are closest to fact. Start developing ideas and/or an action plan based on these assumptions.
- Measure: Put measurement and evaluation methods in place to validate its level of importance.
- Defer: These assumptions can be either eliminated or deferred to another stage of the project.
- Explore: Research these assumptions further as there is very little known about them.
Debrief
- How did this process help prioritize requirements for your project?
- What areas did you/your team decide needed further clarification?
- What do you think this tells us about our personal biases in projects?
- How will you be mindful of your biases in the future?