Purpose

The purpose of the Decide workshop / D-day is to present the results and insights from all phases of the Business Design process to the sponsor of the project. It is important to present the sponsor the full "story" and walk him / her  though all phases of the process. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him / her to understand the final results and conclusions. The sponsor's job is to review the results and make decisions on how proceed with the project. In a nutshell, three decisions are possible:

• STOP: Facts tell us that we should better stop wasting our time because our ideas will never work.
• ITERATE: We gained insights how to improve our ideas and the way we work together as a team.
• GO: Wow. The results from the previous iteration indicate that our ideas are ready to be launched on the market. Go!

We suggest to encourage the sponsor to make clear and quick decisions, in best case right after the presentation. We usually present all the results with a huge and highly visual "Decide Wall". A typical structure of a presentation is outlined in the Review workshop. After the presentation and discussions with the sponsor, the project team usually meets for a short debriefing to reflect the output and define next steps. Document the workshop carefully.

Duration

6 hours + preparation and documentation

Participants

• Innovation manager
• Innovation experts
• Sponsor
• Business Design coach

Instructions for Coaches

1. Keep an eye on the details and apply the "best man" principle. The coach supports the team to achieve the best possible presentation outcomes but stays in the background. The D-Day is the time to shine for the team and their sprint results. Your task as a coach is to take care about all the nitty-gritty details that add to the presentation success (room setup, stage, audio/video details, tech, air quality and light, etc.) while your team is focussed on the content and the results presentation. 
2. Closely check the status of the preparation with the team before the D-Day presentation date. Things that are not prepared upfront, will not happen on the day of the D-Day anymore. You and the team will need the time to execute all the immediate presentation preparation.
3. Plan sufficient time for a good number of presentation rehearsal sessions upfront to the presentation. Consider to include this in the schedule of the D-Day (e.g. starting early) and to use the final presentation assets and room for the final rehearsal. Becoming more confident with the presentation material and the feeling on stage will help your team.
4. Prepare a short intro moderation that you will run as a coach before the team presentation starts. This will be used to make sure everybody is aware about the structure of the D-Day presentation, the duration and the right time for questions.
5. Avoid larger audiences during the D-Day presentation as this might introduce political conflicts and hinder decisions. The D-Day workshop is for the team and the sponsor only. The intimacy of presentation needs to provide a safe space to raise all the required questions and have all the required discussions to facilitate the final sponsor decision.
6. Ensure that the next steps are clearly defined and documented at the end of the workshop. Consider to already plan and agree a date for a follow-up / connector workshop together with the team and the sponsor. This will be essential to ensure the operationalization of the planned steps.

Preparation

• Presentation / "Decide Wall" prepared and practiced to convey the full "story" of the project (see Review workshop)
• Sponsor briefing conducted. Sponsor informed about his role and the nature of the decisions taken on D-Day
• Team members invited, travels and accommodations arranged
• Availability of sponsor during Decide workshop checked and personally invited
• Room & catering booked or organized
• All tools & materials prepared and printed

Documentation

• Workshop results are documented in the Project Workspace (in particular the decisions made in the workshop) and photos are uploaded
• Next steps planned (briefly) incl. next meeting or conference call

Signs of Success

We consider the Decide Workshop as a success...

• ...if the project team is super motivated and engaged in delivering a great presentation to the sponsor
• ...if the sponsor is surprised by the presentation and the results of the project
• ...if the sponsor considers the results as profound basis for making clear decisions on how to proceed in the project
• ...if the sponsor makes decisions right in the workshop
• ...if the project team knows exactly what to do next

Example Agenda

* P = Presentation | D = Discussion | B = Break | T = Teamwork

Tools & Materials

• 1x "Moderation Wall" with purpose and agenda
• 1x Process in Business Design and/or carpet
• 1x "Sponsor's view" carpet
• 1x Project Charter in the Project Workspace
• Structured and prepared "Decide Wall" (preferred) OR 8x Filled flip chart papers on the wall
• 1x Action Plan template
• 1x Time Timer
• Optional: "You are now leaving your comfort zone" carpet
• Optional: 1x Anti-Bullshit Spray
• Optional: Customer's Glasses
• Optional: Tools for virtual collaboration

Room & Infrastructure

• 1x Empty wall: > 420 x 200cm 
• 1x Empty wall: > 220 x 90 cm
• Chairs or cube seats
• 1x Low-distance projector for Project Workspace
• 1x Table for catering
• Hot & cold drinks, snacks or finger food

Example Layout