This little template helps you ensure that you are listening and taking into account the expertise of the key stakeholders that are involved in your project. And this from the start of the project.
How to use the template
The template helps you at the start of a project by asking you a few question about each part/feature of the project.
1. How do we want to serve the user?
We recommend you use one canvas per key feature, service part or user story. That's why the first question that the canvas asks you is to determine which part of the project are we talking about?
2. Who are the key stakeholders?
Start by thinking about who are the key stakeholders you need to involve to have a successful project. Do you need to include for example the client, customer support staff, developers, designers, content creators, back office workers, etc?
3. What does the expert need?
The canvas motivates you to speak to the key stakeholders and ask what they need to make this feature or idea happen for the end user.
4. What are the dangers?
Each expert or stakeholder has from the start hunches about what could go wrong. Each expert knows what are elements that can make the project slower or impossible. Write does down to ensure everybody knows the dangers and can start working to avoid them.
5. How much will it cost?
Each expert or stakeholder can then share how much he thinks his work to make this part of the project happen will cost in terms of money, energy and time.
6. Does it make sense to work on this part of the project
At the end of the canvas you can sum up all the costs provided by each expert or stakeholder. This brings you to the last question: "Should we do it?".
Maybe this part of the project or feature is not worth all the efforts after all? Or maybe you need to reduce the complexity to get to a more manageable budget.
That's the moment when you go back in the canvas to reduce and simplify.
Comes in two flavors 🍧🍦
The template comes in a minimal and an advanced version. Choose the one that fits better the amount of time you have for your project kickoff session.
Minimal Project Hunches Canvas
This minimalist template motivates you to ask three key questions to the most important stakeholders involved in your project: What does each expert need? What are the dangers they see? How much will they work cost?
Advanced Project Hunches Canvas
This template goes more in depth.
For example it helps you think about each key problem and identify smart alternatives to avoid this issue. Or the template motivates you to speak to 4 stakeholders rather than 3. And finally it adds more granularity in the cost estimation by setting a minimum and maximum.
A tool co-created by two designers
Daniele is a service designer, author and educator who runs the Swiss Innovation Academy.
Daniele Catalanotto
Loris is a holistic designer with a love for type. Loris works both on big digital and branding projects for Swiss and international brands.