Summary:
A team canvas is a method for teams to gain understanding about their peers. The Team Canvas derives its inspiration from the Business Model Canvas, Lean Canvas, and Opportunity Canvas. These other tools focus on the business idea, product, and or the user experience. The Team Canvas focuses inwardly on the team that works together to accomplish a goal.
What guidance do you have for use?
- Time-box the exercise, 1 hour to 90-minutes, max!
- Do it by hand. This is a tool for sharing not art
- You can start with a new team, a team that is rebooting (e.g. new team members), setting aside assumptions
- Try and be specific so it’s clear to others – candor is demonstrable evidence of respecting your team members
- This canvas yields the best results when facilitated by an outsider
- Morphing the team’s input into one canvas and making it visible is a good daily reminder for the team
Example in action:
The following is a quick video describing how the Team Canvas works
Alternate guidance that may be helpful
- Have team members post their individual canvas on a wall, so that they can read review what their team members think.
- Use fine/medium Sharpies so that team members can easily read what was written at distance
- Ideal size for running is less then 9 team members
