Min Specs
Strip away the nonessential rules and find the smallest set of "must dos" and "must not dos" needed to achieve your purpose. Adapted from Liberating Structures (https://www.liberatingstructures.com/min-specs), licensed CC BY-NC 3.0.
3 parts · 6 phases
Agree on a shared purpose, starting with "we want...". Then work alone.
- List your max specs
List everything you think you must do and must not do to achieve the shared purpose. These are the "max specs".
Combine and then prune your lists together. You'll stay in the same room.
- Combine your lists
Combine everyone's max specs into one detailed list.
- Cross off what isn't essential
Test each max spec against the purpose. Cross off anything you could drop and still achieve the purpose. Keep going until only the truly inviolable rules remain.
- Agree the min specs and first steps
Each group shares its short list. Consolidate into one final set of min specs. Then share ideas for first steps to put them into practice.