This exercise works as part of a wider team planning process. Once you’ve agreed the main aims of the team you can go on to form more detailed objectives.
Resources needed
- post-it notes in two different colours
- flip chart paper
Method
- Write each team objective on a separate post-it note (all of the same colour). When you’ve finished, attach all the post-its on a piece of flip-chart paper.
- Now place each objective in order of importance (high, medium, low). How many do you have? What are your priorities?
- Starting with your top priority take one post-it (objective). Stick it on a new piece of flip-chart paper.
- Now discuss and agree what tasks need to be done to achieve that objective. Write each task on a separate post-it note (in a second colour).
- Go on to do this with all your objectives until you end up with a piece of flip-chart for each one. Each flip-chart should have the objective in one colour and a number of tasks in another colour.
- Review the whole. Is it manageable within the resources you have (people, time, finances)? What’s essential? Is there anything you can drop?
- Once you’ve come up with a final list, decide how you will share the work. Will one person take responsibility for a particular objective? Or will the tasks for that objective be shared? Who will carry out each task? Who will coordinate?
- As objectives and tasks are allocated hand the relevant post-it note to its ‘owner’.
- The pile in front of each person represents their contribution to achieving the team’s objectives.
You might go on to discuss:
- How evenly distributed is workload?
- Who needs to work with who?
- What support do people need to carry out their tasks?
- What resources are needed?
- Are there any learning or training needs?
Outcomes
You should go away with a well-thought through plan to which everyone has contributed. Individuals will be able to see how important their own work is in enabling the team to achieve its overall goals.