• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

226-212-2256

info@odellkeller.com

Odell Keller

Odell Keller

UX Design Coaching, Training and Remote Workshop Facilitation Services

  • What We Do
    • UX Design Coaching
    • UX Design Workshop
    • UX Vision Session
  • How It Works
    • Our Process
    • UX Design Action Plan
    • UX Design Roadmap
  • About Us
    • Our Company
    • Our Team
    • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Login
Project Questionnaire

Start Strong with the Anchors and Sails Activity

The Anchors and Sails Workshop Activity (or Sailboat Retrospective) works great for new project kick-offs as well as agile retrospective meetings. Identify potential opportunities and challenges at the beginning of the project cycle. Use our simple Four-Step Guide to help facilitate it.

November 26, 2019

Kicking off a new project?

The Anchors and Sails Workshop Activity (sometimes known as The Sailboat Retrospective) helps teams to reach their goals by identifying potential opportunities and challenges at the beginning of the project cycle. We have used this collaborative activity many times with great success.

The Anchors and Sails Workshop Activity works great for new project kick-offs as well as agile retrospective meetings. Use our simple Four-Step Guide to help facilitate it.

Anchors and Sails Video Tutorial

Step One – Identify Potential Opportunities

Give each team member 5 minutes to consider the project opportunities. What could propel you forward as you start this project? These are your project “sails”. Ask each team member to come up with 2 or 3 suggestions.

Step Two – Identify Potential Challenges

Give each team member 5 minutes to consider the challenges. What could hold you back from delivering this project successfully? These are your project “anchors”. Ask each team member to come up with 2 or 3 suggestions.

Step Three – Share Your Thoughts

Take turns sharing suggestions for potential opportunities and challenges. The facilitators can stick the Post-Its up on a whiteboard while the team members are sharing (see our tips below for remote team collaboration).

Step Four – Create an Action Plan

After each team member has shared their thoughts, review the board and determine what to do next. What is the scale (or size) of each of these items? How can the team capitalize on these potential opportunities? How can they address the potential challenges? Capture action items throughout the discussion.

Pro-Tip: Make it Visual

Visual aids will really help this activity come together while also producing an artifact that can be referenced during the project planning phase.

Co-located teams can use a whiteboard and Post-it notes for this activity. Draw a sailboat on water (or print pictures out if you prefer not to draw). Use one Post-it notes for each opportunity and challenge.

Remote teams can use a tool like Trello or Mural to collaborate in real-time. To set the scene for remote team members, upload a photo of a sailboat to your digital tool of choice as the background image for your whiteboard.

Try It Out

In summary, start your project off faster and more successfully by collaboratively charting out how to take advantage of opportunities and avoid obstacles up-front.

How did it go?

Have you used the Anchors and Sails Activity (or Sailboat Retrospective) for a Project Workshop? We’d love to hear your thoughts about the technique! Please share your ideas with us. Comment below and feel welcome to provide additional tips for others who may be trying to facilitate this activity for the first time.

Category iconTips,  Videos

Subscribe to our newsletter

Receive FREE UX Design resources and training course information in our monthly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime.

Privacy Policy
Need a helping hand?

Our UX Design Coaches are ready to dive in.

Project Questionnaire

Footer

Odell Keller

We help business and
technology teams create
user-friendly digital experiences.

info@odellkeller.com

Sitemap

  • Home
  • What We Do
  • Case Studies
  • Our Team
  • Blog

Company

  • About Odell Keller
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Join Our Team
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022 by 10500895 CANADA INC. o/a Odell Keller.
All rights reserved. Return to top