What is a Design Sprint? Created at Google Ventures, a Design Sprint represents a methodology that helps teams complete a five-day workshop for building and testing some problem-solving product or solution (prototype).  A prototype might include a product on a screen, on paper, a service, a physical space, or an object.

Created by Google Venture’s Jake Knapp, along with Braden Kowitz and John Zeratsky, a Design Sprint leads participants from an abstract idea to a workable prototype. The five-day deadline, intensive teamwork, and facilitative focus provide an effective way to generate ideas and evaluate them quickly. The title of their book published in 2016 is “Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days”.  According to the creators, they used Design Sprints on everything from Google Search to Google X.  Not surprisingly, the Design Sprint method relies heavily on methodology led through highly effective, professional facilitation.

Design Sprint Agenda

We recently collaborated with Jessica Olsen, CSPF from The Doolittle Institute to build a five-day agenda (the creators never mention the term ‘agenda’ and prefer using a checklist) based on the Design Sprint methodology.  We have liberally modified some of their suggested tools to include MGRUSH tools provided in our Certified Structured Professional Facilitator training.  Note in particular that we have a distaste for voting because it involves winners and losers.  As consensus fighters, we provide decision-making options based on using criteria and structured analysis.

As described by the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, “listen in if you have a big opportunity, challenge, or idea and need perspective, insights, and practical answers.”

Design Sprint Agenda — Day One, MAPPING

Agenda Step	Estimated Time	Notes and Tools
Introduction	15 to 45 minutes	Duration depends on the number of participants and the length of icebreakers.  Follow the MGRUSH Introductory seven-step introductory sequence, stressing roles: Introduce yourself: stress neutrality, meeting roles, and workshop impact. State the workshop purpose and get an agreement. Confirm the workshop scope and get an agreement. Show the workshop deliverables and get an agreement. Cover the administrivia (e.g., safety moment). Explain the workshop Day Four agenda (preferably through metaphor or analogy). Share the ground rules. a)     (Optionally) Have the attendees introduce themselves b)    Have Decider[1] make some quick rah-rah comments
Long-term Goal	15 to 75 minutes	Using Breakout Teams, treat much like a vision statement of the prototype being built. Consider using either the Purpose tool or the Temporal Shift tool.
Questions	30 to 60 minutes	Using Breakout Teams, develop a list of Design Sprint Questions to be answered by the end of the fifth day. Consider using three of the Six Thinking Hat tools, and in this sequence, namely: White Hat (Neutral Objectivity) — Questions about data, facts, figures, information, examples, and other types of evidence Black Hat (Logical Negative) — Questions about risk, problems, obstacles, and likely causes of failure in reaching the vision Red Hat (Emotional View) — Questions about biased views, hunches, “gut”, and feelings
Mapping	30 to 60 minutes	Using Breakout Teams, build something akin to a process flow diagram.  Consider using the Creativity tool to capture key customer benefits, applications, or other uses. In the words of the authors: “List customers and key players on the left. Draw the ending, with your completed goal, on the right. Finally, make a flowchart in between showing how customers interact with your product. Keep it simple: five to fifteen steps.” (pg 66) [2]
Expert Views	60 to 120 minutes	Facilitate expert views from your Design Sprint team and guests from the outside. For about fifteen to thirty minutes each, capture their vision, research, how things work, and previous efforts or considerations. Other team members listen, observe, and write down notes. Consider strengthening your questions with the Perspectives tool.
How Might We (HMWs)	30 to 60 minutes	Team members convert their notes into opportunity statements (HMWs), akin to Scrum Stories. Use the Purpose tool format. Consider strengthening your questions with the Perspectives tool (pg 75).
Prioritizing	30 to 60 minutes	First, consolidate with the Categorizing tool or some equivalent approach.  Consider various and appropriate prioritization tools ranging from Perceptual Mapping to the Decision Matrix tool. (NOTE: If using an MGRUSH tool, note that you will separately need to build criteria and apply the prioritized criteria against the HMWs.) For less formal cultures, consider a Scrum method of prioritization such as the Team Circle or even Planning Poker. The creators recommend voting (pg 80).
Updating	30 to 60 minutes	Given new input from the experts and the HMWs, consolidate into an updated Long-term Goal, updated Questions, and a consolidated map.
Selection and Testing	15 to 30 minutes	According to the creators, “Circle your most important customer and one target moment on the map. The team can weigh in, but the Decider makes the call.” Test back to Long-term Goal to ensure alignment.
Review, Preview, and Wrap	5 to 15 minutes	Use the standard MGRUSH four-activity approach, namely: Review and summarize what the group accomplished. Review any open items: Assign responsibility and detail how the group can expect to be updated. Guardian of change: determine what the group agrees to tell their superiors and other stakeholders. Improvement: Use a quick Plus/ Delta for any quick fixes needed over the next four days.

  Day One Things We Like

• Remember to take breaks every sixty to ninety minutes 
• ABC: Always be capturing
• Take care of humans

 Day One Things We Would Change

• Ask for permission. Ask the group for permission to facilitate. NOTE: The facilitator does not need to ask to do their job. They will properly confirm roles and impact during the Introductory sequence.
• Keep asking, “How should I capture that?” NOTE: (With a marker silly.) Rhetorical precision demands that the question confirm WHAT we captured and provide an accurate reflection of the speaker’s intent.
• Decide and move on. Slow decisions sap energy and threaten the sprint timeline. If the group sinks into a long debate, ask the Decider to make a call. NOTE: Poor quality decisions sap precious resources. Long debates are not available when the method and discussion are structured, especially when the focus of decision-making ought to be on the criteria and not on the options.

 

Design Sprint Agenda — Day Two, SKETCHING

Agenda Step	Estimated Time	Notes and Tools
Introduction	5 to 10 minutes	Follow the MGRUSH Introductory seven-step introductory sequence, stressing roles: Reconfirm meeting roles and impact of deliverables. Review the workshop purpose and get agreement. Review the workshop scope and get an agreement. Reconfirm the workshop deliverables and get an agreement. Cover administrivia (e.g., safety moment). Explain the workshop Day Four agenda (preferably through metaphor or analogy). Reconfirm the ground rules.
Lightning Demos	2 to 3 hours	Take turns providing three-minute tours of favorite solutions from other products and domains within the same company. Capture all the ‘big ideas’ preferably using both narrative and sketching. Based on personal favorites, biases, or expertise, decide on afternoon assignments.
Notes	15 to 45 minutes	For each person, articulate, codify, and confirm (pg 110).
Ideas	15 to 45 minutes	Have each make some rough doodle sketches (pg 111).
Crazy 8	10 to 15 minutes	Have each follow the Crazy 8 sketching method (pg 112).
Sketches	30 to 60 minutes	For each, create a three-panel storyboard showing customers throughout the solution. Keep in mind the following rules: Make it self-explanatory Keep it anonymous Ugly is OK Words matter (rhetorical precision) Give it a catchy title
Review, Preview, and Wrap	5 to 15 minutes	Use the standard MGRUSH four-activity approach, namely: Review and summarize what the group accomplished. Review any open items: Assign responsibility and detail how the group can expect to be updated. Guardian of change: determine what the group agrees to tell their superiors and other stakeholders. Improvement: Use a quick Plus/ Delta for any quick fixes needed over the next three days.

 Day Two Things We Like

• NOTE: Effective facilitation of discussion around the Demos becomes critical.

 Day Two Things We Would Change

• Referring to a 1959 Yale study on brainstorming as ineffective. NOTE: We’re willing to bet that ideation rules were not imposed and that the analysis component was very weak. Listing is easy, it’s the analyzing that’s tough and it requires structure to break down issues into focal points for facilitated discussion and consensual understanding.

 

Design Sprint Agenda — Day Three, DECIDING

Agenda Step	Estimated Time	Notes and Tools
Introduction	5 to 10 minutes	Follow the MG RUSH Introductory seven-step introductory sequence, stressing roles: Reconfirm meeting roles and impact of deliverables. Review the workshop purpose and get agreement. Review the workshop scope and get an agreement. Reconfirm the workshop deliverables and get an agreement. Cover administrivia (e.g., safety moment). Explain the workshop Day Four agenda (preferably through metaphor or analogy). Reconfirm the ground rules.
Prototype Selection	2 to 4 hours	Consider the creators’ method described below or substitute a more rigorous decision-making tool such as a Perceptual Map a Decision Matrix or both.
Art Museum	Pre-work	Should be done the night before by affixing sketches on the wall, friendly for touring, like an art museum.
Heat Map	pg 133	In silence the creators recommend applying dot stickers to the most compelling parts or ideas, one sketch at a time.
Speed Critique	pg 136	Discuss the compelling parts of each sketch, one sketch at a time, for three minutes. The original sketcher then replies if they feel the group missed something. Capture stand-out ideas and review concerns and questions.
Straw Poll	pg 138	The creators recommend each team member place one vote on their favorite and support it with their rationale.
Decision (Supervote)	pg 141	Creators prefer ‘Note and Vote’ with Decider making the final decision. The advantage of the creators’ method is the combining of elements from multiple sketches, as parts of each sketch, rather than the entire sketch, may be used to build the forthcoming prototype.
Rumble	(Optional)	Decide if the winning ideas can fit into one prototype, or if conflicting ideas require two or three competing prototypes (a Rumble). Note and Vote instructions on pg 146.
Storyboard	2 to 4 hours	Build a storyboard to frame the prototype. The creators’ method recommends drawing a large grid, selecting an opening scene, and a flow that might be expected from the customer’s point of view. Illustrations are preferred over narrative comments.
Review, Preview, and Wrap	5 to 15 minutes	Use the standard MGRUSH four-activity approach, namely: Review and summarize what the group accomplished. Review any open items: Assign responsibility and detail how the group can expect to be updated. Guardian of change: determine what the group agrees to tell their superiors and other stakeholders. Improvement: Use a quick Plus/ Delta for any quick fixes needed over the next two days.

Day Three Things We Like

• Illustrations are preferred over narrative comments. NOTE: A picture is worth a thousand words and a sketch (metaphor or analogy) is worth a thousand pictures.

Day Three Things We Would Change

• NOTE: With the proper method, consensus can be driven but you MUST consider criteria discretely from options.
  

Design Sprint Agenda — Day Four, PROTOTYPING

Agenda Step	Estimated Time	Notes and Tools
Introduction	5 to 10 minutes	Follow the MGRUSH Introductory seven-step introductory sequence, stressing roles: Reconfirm meeting roles and impact of deliverables. Review the workshop purpose and get agreement. Review the workshop scope and get an agreement. Reconfirm the workshop deliverables and get an agreement. Cover administrivia (eg, safety moment). Explain the workshop Day Four agenda (preferably through metaphor or analogy). Reconfirm the ground rules.
Prototyping	4 to 6 hours	Assign roles: Makers, Stitcher, Writer, Asset Collectors, and Interviewer. Consider breaking the storyboard into smaller scenes and assigning each scene to team members (pg 187).
	“	Making (two or more team members)
	“	Stitching
	“	Writing
	“	Asset Collections (two or more team members)
	“	Interviewing
Trial Run	30 to 60 minutes	Identify necessary corrections, ensuring that the Decider and Friday’s Interviewer attend.
Calibrations	30 to 60 minutes	Make changes, finish the prototype, and finalize the Interviewer guide for Friday.
Review, Preview, and Wrap	5 to 15 minutes	Use the standard MGRUSH four-activity approach, namely: Review and summarize what the group accomplished. Review any open items: Assign responsibility and detail how the group can expect to be updated. Guardian of change: determine what the group agrees to tell their superiors and other stakeholders. Improvement: Use a quick Plus/ Delta for any quick fixes needed over the final day.

 Day Four Things We Like

• Divide and Conquer. NOTE: Assigning discrete roles for building the prototype(s).
• Suggestions in Kick-Off Slides:
  • If your product is on a screen, try tools like Keynote, PowerPoint, InVision, or Marvel.
  • If it’s on paper, design it with Keynote, PowerPoint, or Word.
  • With a service, use your Sprint Team as an actor.
  • If it’s a physical space, modify an existing space.
  • If it’s an object, modify an existing object, 3D print a prototype, or prototype the marketing.
• Goldilocks quality. NOTE: Create a prototype with just enough quality to evoke honest reactions from customers (pg 170).

 Day Four Things We Would Change

• NOTE: Day Four is a solid, collaborative, and productive day—well constructed.

 

Design Sprint Agenda — Day Five, TESTING

Agenda Step	Estimated Time	Notes and Tools
Introduction	1 to 2 hours	Create two rooms, one for interviews and one for observation. Position hardware and set up a video stream to the observers’ room (pg 202).
Five Interviews	4 to 6 hours	Following Interviewing protocols for prototyping (pg 212).  Team members capture notes, issues, successes, and problems.
Notes	Concurrent	Gather notes on a pre-built grid using a row for each prototype or section of a prototype and a column for each customer being interviewed (pg 219).
Patterns	30 to 60 minutes	Observe, discuss, and capture using the Notes above (pg 222).
Back to the Future	30 to 60 minutes	Review Sprint Questions from Day One. Decide which patterns are most important moving forward. Also, review Long-term Goals from Monday to fortify the next steps. Stress the opportunity from both the successes and the failures.
Next Steps	30 to 60 minutes	Agree on an action plan going forward and consider applying some type of Roles and Responsibilities Matrix such as a RASI chart using the MG RUSH method for budget, timing, and resource estimations. Allow for the possibility of additional Sprints (on the same topic), albeit likely briefer than five days (See Kick-off slide #45).
Review, Preview, and Wrap	5 to 15 minutes	Use the standard MGRUSH four-activity approach, namely: Review and summarize what the group accomplished. Review any open items: Assign responsibility and detail how the group can expect to be updated. Guardian of change: determine what the group agrees to tell their superiors and other stakeholders. Improvement: Use a more substantial Evaluation Form to obtain feedback on overall performance.

 

Day Five Things We Like

• Incredible capacity of structured, group activities.

Day Five Things We Would Change

• Voting: Need we say more?

 

[1] ‘Decider’ is one of three primary roles in a Design Sprint, the other primary roles include ‘Facilitator’, ‘Interviewer’, and ‘Sprint Team.

[2] Refers to the page number in the creators’ book, “Sprint – How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days”.  Additionally, the MG RUSH style encourages using fewer periods (full stops) than in American English.

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Don’t ruin your career by hosting bad meetings. Sign up for a workshop or send this to someone who should. MGRUSH workshops focus on meeting design and practice. Each person practices tools, methods, and activities daily during the week. Therefore, while some call this immersion, we call it the road to building high-value facilitation skills.

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With Bookmarks no longer a feature in WordPress, we need to append the following for your benefit and reference

• 20 Prioritization Techniques = https://foldingburritos.com/product-prioritization-techniques/
• Creativity Techniques = https://www.mycoted.com/Category:Creativity_Techniques
• Facilitation Training Calendar = https://mgrush.com/public-facilitation-training-calendar/
• Liberating Structures = http://www.liberatingstructures.com/ls-menu
• Management Methods = https://www.valuebasedmanagement.net
• Newseum = https://www.freedomforum.org/todaysfrontpages/
• People Search = https://pudding.cool/2019/05/people-map/
• Project Gutenberg = http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Scrum Events Agendas = https://mgrush.com/blog/scrum-facilitation/
• Speed test = https://www.speedtest.net/result/8715401342
• Teleconference call = https://youtu.be/DYu_bGbZiiQ
• The Size of Space = https://neal.fun/size-of-space/
• Thiagi/ 400 ready-to-use training games = http://thiagi.net/archive/www/games.html
• Visualization methods = http://www.visual-literacy.org/periodic_table/periodic_table.html#
• Walking Gorilla = https://youtu.be/vJG698U2Mvo