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Solution Design Sprint
What is a Solution Design Sprint?
A Solution Design Sprint is an accelerated, creative, and collaborative problem-solving workshop (or series of workshops) that utilizes a structured, yet flexible process to unleash the creativity of everyone on a team in a short amount of time. ​
Discover
This stage is focused on gaining insights about and developing empathy for the people who are impacted by the challenge or opportunity at hand. Sometimes this involves conducting observational research in order to deeply understand the "Reality of the Customer." Other times, we seek to learn from those who may have solved a similar problem in a different industry. We also look for instances of where things are working well within the same context and environment, as these "bright spots" can often point to solutions that are already working.
(Re)Frame
Before we go further, we pause to ensure we have properly framed the problem or opportunity correctly. It is critical to understand what the organization is trying to accomplish and/or what "job" the customer is trying to get done and why. Otherwise, we run the risk of building a great bridge, only to learn it's over the wrong river. In addition, at this stage, we identify the solution constraints, both real and assumed.
Ideate
Using structured ideation exercises, we inspire lateral thinking to elicit both obvious and non-obvious ideas. We intentionally conduct the exercises in a way to accommodate introverts and extroverts and we are careful to separate idea generation from idea evaluation. Once ideation is complete, participant teams select the ideas they believe are worth further exploration and then filter those down to the concepts that will be further developed through rapid prototyping.
Prototype
Within the context of a Solution Design Sprint, a prototype is broadly defined as "any visual or tangible representation of a concept that enables others to better understand and react to it." Prototyping is a valuable tool in that it leads to clarity and shared understanding more quickly than using words alone. It also serves as a means to obtain rich feedback from stakeholders, and fosters exploration of more than one solution, thereby reducing the risk of "marrying an idea too early." Rapid prototyping also accelerates learning, as it is a form of enlightened trial and error.
Test
What's better than a good idea? A testable idea. Concept testing usually takes place after a Solution Design Sprint, but the key is to elicit feedback from "real" customers or other stakeholders before a significant amount of time, money, and resources is invested. Testing can take many different forms depending on the concept itself and what aspects need to be evaluated.
Launch
Once a concept makes it through the previous phases, it's time for launch. However, if the new product, service, or process requires behavior change on the part of any constituents, it's imperative that we "design for adoption." In other words, we must identify the needed behavior changes and consider how we might influence or nudge people appropriately.
Why is a Solution Design Sprint valuable?
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Focuses participants with diverse backgrounds on a single, specific challenge
Encourages and builds upon “wild” ideas that might not otherwise surface
Establishes a shared understanding of multiple priorities and perspectives
Uses rapid prototyping to fail early and often in order to succeed sooner
Promotes highly engaged collaboration by intentionally compressing time and space
When might a Design Sprint be useful?
A Solution Design Sprint is an effective tool for tackling big, complex challenges, particularly those that involve or impact multiple teams or organizations. The process enables stakeholders to better understand the various perspectives, issues, and nuances of a problem and its potential solutions. This deeper understanding leads to better, more informed decision making about which paths to explore, and which to avoid.
Defining new products,
services, and/or markets
Determining risk
mitigation strategies
Redesigning customer and/or employee experiences
Conducting “learning-by-doing” innovation training
Collaboratively designing the path forward for new or reorganized entities
Identifying non-obvious
expense reduction opportunities
Accelerating process
improvement initiatives
Getting projects “unstuck”
What are the benefits of a Design Sprint?
Speed
Ideas and potential solutions are generated, tested, and refined in one session. When compared to the weekly one-hour meeting (or conference call) approach that is often the default approach, the Solution Design Sprint delivers results at hyperspeed.
Engagement
Due to the design and pacing of the process, participants are energized and engaged throughout. Because it doesn’t feel like “work”, teams are often amazed at how much they accomplish in a short amount of time.
Breakthrough
Ideas
A tremendous amount of idea power is unleashed when a cognitively diverse team is engaged in this creative process. The provocative nature of the exercises forces teams to push their thinking beyond obvious, incremental improvements.
Sustainable
Commitment
By involving key stakeholders early in the process and incorporating their input, the concepts that come out of a Solution Design Sprint already have the buy-in that’s critical to survive the organizational anti-bodies that attack new, breakthrough ideas.
