Illustrative four-hour workshop for 24 participants
Scope
A fictional workshop about improving an internal request handoff. It uses 24 in-person participants at four tables of six, from 09:00 to 13:00 in local venue time. The 240 minutes include a break and all changeovers. This is a planning example, not a tested client outcome.
Objectives
- Compare options for a clearer request handoff.
- Design a small test whose completion and observations can be checked.
Outputs
- An option sheet per table, separating facts, assumptions, criteria and unresolved questions.
- One consolidated small-test plan, including an accepted owner, due date, review date and evidence to check.
Setup
- Confirm a facilitator, a sponsor with stated decision authority and one recorder at each of four tables. The 24 participants include the table recorders; facilitator and sponsor are additional roles unless assigned from the group.
- Prepare a short fictional or approved, redacted request-handoff example. Remove customer identifiers and separate confirmed observations from assumptions.
- Provide paper, pens, option-sheet and test-plan headings, a visible timer and a shared board. Agree a private place for approved notes.
- Check accessible routes, seating, print size and hearing needs in advance. Offer individual writing and a recorder as alternatives to speaking. No one must disclose personal experience.
- Ask the sponsor to state the decision boundary, available time and resources. If essential evidence or authority is missing, use the session to document questions instead of forcing a decision.
Limits
- This example covers one bounded process question. It does not establish that the chosen change will improve results.
- Use a different process for confidential personnel disputes, acute conflict, or high-stakes decisions without the required expertise and authority.
- Remote and hybrid sessions need a redesigned interaction, access and timing plan. This example assumes everyone is in the room.
- Do not scale beyond 24 participants without reviewing staffing, table reporting time and access. Protect the break and final ownership review; reduce scope if time slips.
Schedule
| Time / Minutes | Session / Room and Track | Owner / Output / Changeover |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00-09:15 (15 min) | Set the contract Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Facilitator Output: Option sheet: question, boundaries and decision criteria Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 09:15-09:45 (30 min) | Read the evidence Main room / Four tables of six |
Owner: Facilitator Output: Option sheet: facts, assumptions and missing evidence Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 09:45-10:25 (40 min) | Generate options Main room / Four tables of six |
Owner: Facilitator and table recorders Output: Option sheet: distinct approaches and open questions Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 10:25-10:40 (15 min) | Break Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Facilitator Output: No work expected Changeover: Return by 10:40; movement is included in the break. |
| 10:40-11:10 (30 min) | Compare options Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Facilitator Output: Option sheet: comparisons against agreed criteria Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 11:10-11:30 (20 min) | Choose a test Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Sponsor decision owner Output: Small-test plan: selected question and recorded objections Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 11:30-12:10 (40 min) | Build the test plan Main room / Four tables of six |
Owner: Facilitator and table recorders Output: Small-test plan: steps, starting process and observations to collect Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 12:10-12:35 (25 min) | Challenge the plan Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Facilitator Output: Small-test plan: revised risks and stop conditions Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 12:35-12:55 (20 min) | Accept ownership Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Sponsor decision owner Output: Small-test plan: accepted owner, dates and evidence access Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
| 12:55-13:00 (5 min) | Close Main room / Whole group |
Owner: Facilitator Output: Small-test plan: agreed next step and sharing boundary Changeover: Included in the final recording minutes; no extra time. |
Instructions for each block
09:00 Set the contract
Spend 3 minutes framing the handoff question, 4 clarifying authority and constraints, and 6 agreeing criteria such as clarity, effort and access. Use the last 2 minutes to record the contract and move to the evidence.
09:15 Read the evidence
Spend 5 minutes reading the approved example, 10 marking facts separately from assumptions, and 12 discussing missing evidence at each table. Record open questions and reset the board in the final 3 minutes. Do not copy private identifiers.
09:45 Generate options
Use 5 minutes to frame the question. Give 5 minutes for quiet individual ideas, 10 to share or pass, and 15 to develop distinct options. Each table records its options and prepares one short explanation in the final 5 minutes.
10:25 Break
Take the full 15 minutes away from the task. Offer a quiet resting place. Return by 10:40; any walking time is inside this break.
10:40 Compare options
Use 2 minutes to restate the agreed criteria. Give each of four tables 3 minutes to explain its options, for 12 minutes total. Spend 13 comparing tradeoffs and missing evidence. Use the last 3 minutes to record the comparison.
11:10 Choose a test
Spend 5 minutes reviewing constraints, 8 examining objections and 5 on the sponsor decision. The sponsor selects a bounded test only within the agreed authority. Record the reason and unresolved objections in the final 2 minutes. If evidence or authority is insufficient, record the gap instead.
11:30 Build the test plan
Use 5 minutes to assign four parts of one plan: steps, starting process and observations, risks and stop conditions, and resources and access. Tables work in parallel for 15 minutes. Spend 15 combining their parts into one plan and 5 recording remaining questions.
12:10 Challenge the plan
Use 5 minutes to read the combined plan, 8 to identify failure cases, and 10 to revise its steps and stop conditions. Record changes and remaining uncertainty in the final 2 minutes. A plausible plan is not evidence that the test has worked.
12:35 Accept ownership
Spend 5 minutes proposing the action owner and evidence reviewer, 8 agreeing due and review dates plus evidence access, and 5 obtaining explicit acceptance. Record open assignments in the final 2 minutes. Do not assign work to absent colleagues. Keep unresolved ownership visible.
12:55 Close
Use 2 minutes to restate the agreed plan, 2 to confirm sharing permissions and the next review, and 1 to save the approved record and close. Invite written feedback or a pass; no public promise or group photo is required.
Illustrative redesign notes
See the proposed change
Before: A fictional four-hour workshop jumps from problem talk to a preferred solution.
After: Read evidence, generate options, agree criteria and record the sponsor decision before planning a test.
Reason: This makes assumptions, tradeoffs and decision authority inspectable. It does not guarantee the best choice.
See the proposed change
Before: A fictional agenda uses its final minutes for more discussion and leaves ownership unspecified.
After: Reserve 20 minutes for accepted ownership and evidence, followed by a five-minute close.
Reason: A written plan allows a later review. Whether anyone completes it must still be observed.
Follow Up
- Share only the approved option sheets and test plan with the agreed group. Keep private evidence in the approved location.
- At the agreed review date, record what happened and what remains unknown. No reply is not proof that no work occurred.
- Compare the observations with the recorded starting process. Decide whether to continue, revise or stop; a completed action alone does not establish impact.