Using lightweight analysis techniques to workshop shared solutions
Achieving and maintaining a shared understanding across a team about just what a project is intended to deliver, and just why that matters, is tremendously challenging. It is also tremendously important. This workshops explores how a team can create and iterate a number of lightweight models to help both (i) build a shared and evolving understanding of the business problem and what potential solutions look like (ii) make sure they are asking the right kind of questions early. Models considered will include user, process, financial and interface / interaction (e.g. storyboards).
I’ve submitted an experience report that explores how a small team worked together closely to assess a business idea (proposition) around the provision of an environmentally friendly commuter solution for London (“An Agile Approach to Proposition Assessment”).
This tightly time-boxed exercise built on many of the principles core to Agile software development. It focused on the importance of collaborative, iterative, feedback driven sessions where the business and the implementation team worked together to evolve a shared understanding of potential solutions. This process was supported by a variety of lightweight models (financial, process, etc.) as well as user journeys captured as illustrated scenarios through story boards and low fidelity prototypes.
In this tutorial I’d like the opportunity to explore the techniques used in greater detail - with an opportunity for participants to try out the techniques themselves and provide feedback on other and similar approaches they may have taken. For me providing the customer / business / end-user with models that are insightful and thought provoking - whether that’s a mathematical model that challenges the supposed business case or a low fidelity prototype that captures the potential complexity of an interaction - is absolutely key to making the most of collaborative time.
In the tutorial the group will have the option to explore one or more of: - Simple business case modeling - Rapid process modeling with cards - Storyboarding of key user journeys - Creation of paper / low fidelity prototypes
Importantly these individual techniques will be set in the context of achieving an answer to the overarching question “Should the business pursue this idea / proposition or not?” - i.e. we will look at how the various strands above can be pulled together to provide a rapid and robust answer.
The initial 15 - 20 minutes will be used to set context, introduce the core ideas and briefly present the different modeling techniques. Based on this the group will be asked to vote on which of the techniques they would most like to explore.
30 minutes will be given to the top two, one after the other. For each we’ll consider why and when you’d use it before discussing the how. We’ll then divide into smaller groups (6-8) for some hands-on practice of what’s been talked about. After trying the techniques they’ll be an opportunity to reflect on what did and didn’t work (and why).
For the final 15 minutes we’ll open the floor to a broader discussion of where people have seen these, or similar techniques, work (or not) and the common lessons learned.