Invest time to define the right challenge to work on

Challenge/Problem definition

 

Pre-define the challenge. Before starting, it’s good practice to set the challenge (the How Might We tool can help with this). Tailor your challenge according to the geographical region, taking into account social and cultural aspects.

Define the problem in advance. Hold a brainstorming session to establish what the most important or urgent problem is.

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User Research

 

Prepare a set of questions to use for field research in advance and print them in a document. Make sure you get outside the building and actually talk to people!

 

 

Commitment

 

Block five full days of the calendar for the entire sprint. The quality of work depends on the team’s commitment.

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Involvement of leadership

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Involve leadership. Not all leaders may be able to attend the sprint all week, but its fundamental for the project’s success to have them on board. Early leadership participation and endorsement will make for buy-in further along the process.

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Participation

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You’ll need five to seven participants. They must have commitment and key skills to be able to work on the project from end-to-end (including implementation of the MVP).

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Balanced team

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Push for balance. Research shows that more balanced teams produce better outcomes, so make sure the team has a well-balanced composition across culture, mindset, gender, and other representation.

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Facilitation

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Pick a facilitator to manage time, conversations, and the overall sprint process. Look for someone who’s confident leading a meeting, working with people and synthesizing discussions on the fly.

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Premises

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Book a room with lots of whiteboards, flip charts, and empty walls. It will make the whole process of producing and organizing ideas easier. Book a fixed room for the entire week and try to avoid fancy venues — an isolated room in a coworking space would work perfectly. Try to avoid people coming in and out. Make sure the environment is informal and comfortable (it helps with the outcome).

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Identify a product owner

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Someone has to own the results of the design sprint. This person needs to ensure that the next steps of the process happen, from getting additional resources or ensuring further development and implementation of the prototype.

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This is just the beginning

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The design sprint is just the first step on your journey towards developing new solutions for your challenges. That’s why it’s important to plan the next steps in advance.

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Get some rest

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Sprints are called sprints for a reason: they are intense activities that require a high-level of commitment, so make sure the team gets some downtime after they’ve finished. They will need to recharge before taking the next steps.