How we do it

1- IDENTIFY THE ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES

While detailed activities are highly contextual to each inception, the overall flow and framework will stay loosely the same.

When planning inceptions, we take the blueprint as a starting point, add or remove activities as required and adjust the overall flow for the best-fitting narrative.

We also define outcomes for each activity, so it’s clear as to why a given activity is being conducted and what the focus is on.

The inception agenda blueprint outlines a generic starting point. Alternatively you can use the example schedule.

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2- IDENTIFY THE INPUTS NEEDED FOR EACH ACTIVITY

We define the information needed to make each activity a success. We’ve achieved our best results by sharing expectations and knowledge on where the client wants to go and where they are now. We place less importance on preparing extensively on defining or understanding the proposed solution.

The latter can lead to heavy bias and the need to backpedal, which can further frustrate stakeholders who’ve invested time in preparation.

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3- DEFINE HOW TO RUN EACH ACTIVITY

Based on the topic, objective and expected participants, we figure out the best way to run individual activities. This includes setting out which tools and techniques to use. This could be a simple presentation or a workshop using the tools and techniques listed in the inception agenda blueprint and discussed in detail in the Design an inception agenda: deep dive.

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4- DEFINE WHO IS NEEDED

For each activity we identify relevant participants and stakeholders. We focus on cross-disciplinary groups that hold the required knowledge, as well as the authority to make informed decisions.

5- PREPARE ANY MATERIALS YOU WILL NEED FOR EACH ACTIVITY

As with inputs, we are careful to avoid over-preparation (as it leads to bias and impedes collaboration and buyin). We simply ensure we’re prepared to drive discussions and analysis, and usually have a toolkit (of tools, techniques and case studies) we use if we need to swerve and pivot.

Once you have your agenda laid out, you can head right into scheduling and running it.

Pro tips

See Design an inception agenda: deep dive for an in-depth discussion with recommendations of tools and techniques.

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