What do you need to do the day after the workshop?
That’s it. That’s the most important question for any workshop design. Why? Because the answer lets you work backwards to design the workshop.
Maybe the day after the workshop, you need to get the development roadmap approved. Maybe you need to build a workplan, draft a request for proposals, or start designing the interface.
Instead of starting with what the workshop will look like, start with what you need to do afterward. Ask yourself: “What do I need to do the next day?” Then consider what you don’t have right now that you’ll need to do that work.
Starting with this question and working backwards can help you figure out:
What outputs you need and how to capture them.
What kind of workshop and activities will generate those outputs.
Who needs to be there to make the best use of your time and meet your goal.
Defining the outputs
Let’s say that the day after the session, or within a couple of days, I need to prepare a project workplan for executive approval. My session needs to bring the team together to finalize the workplan.
What outputs do I need to prepare the workplan? What’s the best way to capture them so I can use them afterward?
Do I need to generate the tasks for the workplan?
Do I know the tasks but need to prioritize, estimate, or schedule them?
Do I have enough information to start the workplan, or do we need to start from zero?
Will it be easier to work from photos, a digital whiteboard, a document, a spreadsheet, a list, or a timeline?
Defining the type of session
What kind of session will best support the discussions needed to generate these outputs?
Do I need an idea-generation session to build the workplan?
Do I need a post-mortem to review previous workplans and identify what went wrong and what worked?
Do I need a prioritization session so the team can review the proposed work activities?
Do I need a roadmapping session to map the planned activities against the project timeline?
Selecting the activities
How will participants generate the outputs I need, in the format I need?
The type of session will influence the activities, but it won’t necessarily determine them.
Maybe I want to use silent brainwriting to generate ideas. Or maybe group brainstorming would work better for this team.
Maybe we’ll discuss the workplans as a group, break into teams to review one workplan each, or rotate groups through all the workplans so they can comment. Maybe we’ll use a role play where one person defends the workplan while another challenges it.
Maybe we’ll use a card sort to prioritize ideas, or a voting activity to identify the issues the group feels most strongly about.
Maybe we’ll map activities against a timeline, or sort them into “now, next, later” categories.
Choosing the participants
Maybe you don’t get to choose. This isn’t for you.
If you can choose who participates, consider: Who is best positioned to help generate the outcomes I need to do the work the next day?
Who needs to be there? Who has to be there?
Are there power dynamics or politics at play?
How do participants work together?
What do I need to consider to help them collaborate?
Before you finalize the plan, ask yourself: if the workshop goes well, what will you be able to do the next day that you can’t do now?
If you can answer that clearly, you have a basis for choosing the outputs, activities, and participants. If you can’t, keep working backwards before you plan the session.
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