How to Use facilitation Techniques to Go From Problems to Countermeasures

• Purpose of the Exercise:

  • Efficiently solves problems and makes decisions in structured meetings.
  • Applicable to various scenarios, including product design, feature development, and team problem-solving.

• Materials Needed:

  • Pink and plain rectangular post-its, two types of dots, sharpies, scissors, a timer, a flat surface for sticking items.

• Process Overview:

  • Individuals write down problems/challenges in seven minutes using post-its.
  • Each person presents their problems briefly, then everyone silently votes with dots on the most crucial issues.
  • The most voted problems are transformed into "How Might We" statements (HMWs) for standardized solutions.

• Solution Building:

  • Focuses on producing quantity over quality in generating ideas.
  • Team members generate multiple solutions within seven minutes for the prioritized HMWs.

• Voting on Solutions:

  • Individuals silently vote on the solutions they find most intriguing, aiming for short-term implementation.
  • Prioritized solutions are arranged on a surface and marked for further consideration.

• Effort-Impact Assessment:

  • Moderator places solutions on an effort-impact scale with input from the team.
  • Identifies high-impact, low-effort solutions (sweet spot) for immediate action and marks them with green dots.

This exercise guides a team through problem-solving without open discussion, fostering structured decision-making and actionable outcomes.

Conclusion and Course Forward:

• Hands-On Approach: Encouragement to practically apply problem-solving methodologies.
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