Align on Your Impact Goals
This method helps teams clarify and align on the desired impact of a project, both in the short-term and long-term. By visualizing the relationship between immediate outcomes and lasting social change, teams can ensure they are working towards a shared vision of success.
Use this method at the beginning of a project to establish a clear understanding of the project's goals and how they contribute to a larger vision. It's especially useful when working with diverse stakeholders who may have different expectations.
Solves: Misaligned expectations among team members and stakeholders regarding project goals and impact.
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Step 1: Gather the design team and key stakeholders. (5 minutes)
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Step 2: Ask each participant to individually write down their hopes for the project's impact on sticky notes. (10 minutes)
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Step 3: As a group, organize the sticky notes on a vertical 'Impact Ladder,' with long-term, significant changes at the top and immediate, achievable changes at the bottom. (20 minutes)
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Step 4: Using the Impact Ladder worksheet, collaboratively define and document two statements: the long-term Impact and the near-term Key Outcome. (20 minutes)
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Step 5: Ensure all stakeholders are aligned on these goals. (5 minutes)
- Encourage participants to think broadly about the potential impact of the project.
- Help the group identify the core assumptions underlying the impact ladder.
- Use different colored sticky notes to represent different types of impact (e.g., social, economic, environmental).
- Conduct a dot voting exercise to prioritize the most important impact goals.