Why do you use this activity?
Reflect as a team on what you know and what you still need to understand about your work.
Brainstorm how to reduce risks by learning more.
When should you use this activity?
We recommend using this activity early and often. The sooner you can recognize and evaluate your team’s assumptions and questions, the more quickly you can act to reduce the risk they pose.
How do I do this activity?
COLLECT ASSUMPTIONS
As individuals, write one assumption or question per sticky note. Withhold judgment or discussion until later.
SETTING UP
Draw a two-by-two grid with High-risk on the top, Low-risk on the bottom, Certain on the left, and Uncertain on the right.
IDENTIFY HIGH-RISK UNCERTAINTIES
Evaluate each idea quickly and individually. Roughly plot them on the grid where they make the most sense.
Begin to discuss with your teammates and re-position the ideas concerning each other.
BUILD AN ACTION PLAN
Pull high-risk and uncertain items from the upper-right quadrant into a new space.
For each item, diverge on different ways to validate or invalidate these assumptions and questions.
Is there someone you can talk to directly to get an answer? Could you validate an assumption through direct observation? Could you build a prototype to test a hypothesis?
PLAYBACK
Choose one person to play back your team’s Assumptions and Questions.
Have someone else play back how you plan to resolve them.
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