Assumption Grid Template
Make decisions with confidence with the assumption grid template.
Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies
About the Assumption Grid Template
Most business models and decisions are based on assumptions. Whether you’re a startup, an enterprise company, or somewhere in between, you’re probably making assumptions almost every day. But when resources and time are on the line, it can be hard to decide whether your assumptions are worth making -- and if you’re making tough judgment calls, it’s not always easy to know which assumptions to test.
Developed by IBM, an Assumption Grid is a powerful tool that helps you decide which assumptions from your business model you should test first. The grid plots your assumptions on two axes: high impact assumptions for which you have little information, and low impact assumptions for which you have little information. Visualizing your assumptions can empower you to make judgment calls, prioritize, mitigate risk, and overcome uncertainties.
Once you’ve placed a variety of items on the grid, the Assumption Grid becomes a great conversational tool. Bring your team into a room and have them go over the results. New assumptions might materialize, or you might move items around on the grid.
How do you use the assumption grid template?
Here are the steps to use our template effectively: 1. Customize the template according to your specific requirements. 2. Invite team members to join your board and collaborate with you. 3. Create color-coded sticky notes to keep track of each person’s contributions. 4. Use the username or video chat feature if you require input from others. 5. Upload various file types, such as documents, photos, videos, and PDFs, to store all the relevant information in one place. By following these steps, you can effectively use our assumption grid template and streamline your team's workflow.
When should you use the Assumption Grid template?
IBM recommends using the Assumption Grid as often as possible, and that is sound advice. For most organizations, risk is the only constant. The sooner you can recognize and evaluate your teams’ assumptions, the more quickly you can mitigate potential risk and make judgment calls. You can use the Assumption Grid anytime you’d like to promote critical thinking about your ideas. The grid prompts you to consider levels of certainty and risk, which can help you and your team to uncover some of your biases and unfounded beliefs. The Assumption Grid is also a useful tool for overcoming decision-making roadblocks. If your team is divided on a decision, bring everyone together to build an Assumption Grid. The ensuing conversations might clarify goals and expectations.
Get started with this template right now.
SAFe Roam Board
Works best for:
Agile Methodology, Operations, Agile Workflows
A SAFe ROAM Board is a framework for making risks visible. It gives you and your team a shared space to notice and highlight risks, so they don’t get ignored. The ROAM Board helps everyone consider the likelihood and impact of risks, and decide which risks are low priority versus high priority. The underlying principles of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) are: drive cost-effective solutions, apply systems thinking, assume that things will change, build incrementally, base milestones on evaluating working systems, and visualize and limit works in progress.
Check-In Icebreaker Template
Works best for:
Icebreakers, Meetings
Run a dynamic online session with the Check-in Icebreaker Template. Use this icebreaker before your meeting to boost energy levels, connect people, and warm up the room.
UML Activity Diagram Template
Works best for:
Diagrams
Use our Activity Diagram template to break down activities into smaller decisions and subprocesses. Improve and optimize systems and processes in I.T., business management, and more.
Competitive Analysis Template
Works best for:
Marketing, Decision Making
Developing a great product starts with knowing the lay of the land (meaning who you’re up against) and answering a few questions: Who are your competitors? How does your product or service compare? What makes you stand out? A competitive analysis will help find the answers, which can ultimately shape your product, value prop, marketing, and sales strategies. It’s a great exercise when a big business event is about to occur — like a new product release or strategic planning session.
Epic & Feature Roadmap Planning
Epic & Feature Roadmap Planning template facilitates the breakdown of large-scale initiatives into manageable features and tasks. It helps teams prioritize development efforts based on business impact and strategic objectives. By visualizing the relationship between epics and features, teams can effectively plan releases and ensure alignment with overall project goals and timelines.
Prune the Product Tree Template
Works best for:
Design, Desk Research, Product Management
Prune the Product Tree (also known as the product tree game or the product tree prioritization framework) is a visual tool that helps product managers organize and prioritize product feature requests. The tree represents a product roadmap and helps your team think about how to grow and shape your product or service by gamifying feedback-gathering from customers and stakeholders. A typical product tree has four symbolic features: the trunk, which represents the existing product features your team is building; the branches, each of which represents a product or system function; roots, which are technical requirements or infrastructure; and leaves, which are new ideas for product features.